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CHRISTIAN 
PERSECUTIONS 



BEING A 



HISTORICAL EXPOSITION 



OF THE 



principal Catholic Events 

FROM THE CHRISTIAN ERA TO THE PRESENT TIME. 



Written from an Unprejudiced Standpoint. 



BY 



ASA H. CRAIG, 

Mukwonago, Wis. 



PUBLISHED BY 

THE BURLINGTON PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
Burlington, Wisconsin. 



-£ 



^ 



V 



o 



•1 



Entered according to an Act of Congress in the year 1890, by 

ASA H. CRAIG. 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D, C 



ONE COPY RECEIVED. 







TO 
THE CAUSE OF HUMANITY 

AND THE 

(©uerthrout of Jntoterance, Sijjoirg m& Jpormtre 

THIS VOLUME 

IS 

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
BY THE AUTHOR. 



The following Authors have been consulted upon which 
the historic facts in this volume are based. For these favors 
I most cheerfully extend my thanks. 

Rollins' Ancient History. Two volumes. 

Meyers' Ancient History. 

Myers' Mediaeval and Modern History. 

Russell's Modern Europe. Two volumes. 

Redpath's History of the World. 

Guizot's History of France. 

Parsons' Studies in Church History. Five volumes. 

Brueck's History of the Catholic Church. Two volumes. 

Deharbe's History of Religion. 

Library of Controversy. Four volumes. 

Cardinal Gibbons' Faith of Our Fathers. 

The Jesuits, by Paul Feval. 

Miss Kirkland's History of France. 

Martin Luther, by Jacobs. 

Cardinal Manning. 

Robert G. Ingersoll. 

Encyclopedia Britannica. 

Voltaire's Age of Reason. 

Macaulay's History of England. 

Alzog's Universal Church History. Three volumes. 

A. H. Craig. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

PREFACE 9 

CHAPTER I. My Confession 15 

" IT. Early Heresies 23 

" IIT. Persecution 31 

" IV. Retrospect 36 

V. The Tyrant Nero 42 

" VI. Early Christian Martyrs 57 

The Conversion of Constantine 67 

Julian, The Apostate 72 

VII. The Crusades 76 

" VIII. The Crusades— Continued 89 

The Second Crusade 93 

The Third Crusade 95 

The Fourth Crusade 98 

The Children's Crusade 98 

" IX. The Reformation 104 

" X. Origin of the Reformation 113 

" XI. Martin Luther 119 

" XII. Martin Luther— Continued 137 

" XIII. John Calyin and Ulric Zwingli 150 

Ulric Zwingli 152 

John Calyin 162 

" XIV. Summary of the Reformation 168 

XV. The Thirty Years' War..... 172 

XVI. The Huguenots 181 

" XVII. The Spanish Inquisition 199 

" XVIII. The French Revolution 220 

" XIX. Napoleon Bonaparte 234 

" XX. Napoleon Bonaparte — Continued 244 

" XXI. Origin of the English Church 254 

7 



CHAPTER. XXII. 



XXIII. 



XXIV. 
XXV. 



XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 
XXXIII. 
XXXIV. 

XXXV. 
XXXVI. 



Contents. 

Page 
Heirs of Henry VIII 262 

Edward VI 262 

Queen Mary 267 

Heirs of Henry VIII— Continued 285 

Queen Elizabeth 285 

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots 293 

Irish Persecution 306 

Irish Persecution — Continued 324 

Cromwell in Ireland 324 

William of Orange 329 

Origin of the Greek Church 338 

The Bible 354 

Robert G. Ingersoll 371 

The Temporal Powers of the Popes 391 

The Temporal Powers of the Popes— Con- 
tinued 405 

Infallibility of the Popes 418 

The Virgin Mary 432 

Sisters of Charity 450 

The Jesuits 468 

The Sacrifice of the Mass 482 

Patriotism 494 

Archbishop Ireland's Address 498 



PREFACE. 




|N presenting this volume to the public the author has but 
one idea to advance and but one object to attain, and 
that, to destroy intoleration, bigotry and ignorance. 

By Intoleration we mean, not a prohibition of rights 
and opinions, but the religious inconsistency and prejudice that 
exists in the political and social life of individuals. It is the in- 
toleration of the mind, the heart, the conscience. 

By Bigotry, — that obstinate and unreasoning condition in which 
an individual views his own belief and opinions, and opposes with 
narrow-minded intolerance the beliefs of others. It is a bated 
opposition, without reason or common sense. 

By Ignorance, — that pitiable condition which listens to fanati- 
cism, believes assertions, and analyzes nothing. It is the father of 
intoleration, bigotry, and superstition. It is the foundation of 
religious persecution, of idolatry, and of heresy. It breeds con- 
fusion, oppression, and persecution. 

From the first establishment of Christianity to the present 
day it has been one constant struggle against unbelief, against 
opposition, and against persecution. In <uhe past there is a wonder- 
ful history of the sufferings, the trials, and the steadfastness of 
those who have been faithful to God, to Christ, and to his Holy 
Word. To write these histories is beyond the power of man. 
Hundreds of volumes have been issued and yet we have recorded 
only a part of the great work of Christianity, and the awful afflic- 
tions it has borne. But not once in all those two thousand years 
has the faith in Christ been lost or broken. While it has ap- 
parently met reverses, yet not once was there a defeat. These 
reverses were only God's means of purifying the Church, of win- 

(2) 9 



10 Preface. 

nowing the chaff from the wheat, of casting out the dross, the 
millstones, and all the accumulations of unworthiness. 

Before the Reformation it was idolatrous persecution of Chris- 
tianity. Since that event it has been Christian against Christian, 
with the Pope and the Church of Rome as the great central figure, 
against which arose this opposition. The Whole force of the 
Reformation was to crush the power of the Catholic Church and 
its great head, the Pope. In return, the Church has sought to main- 
tain its supremacy, to extend its influence, and to establish its 
worship in all the nations of the earth. The warfare between 
these contending forces has been one of bitter hatred, and a 
history of deadly persecution. 

In this short volume it is impossible to give more than a 
general exposition of events; but I trust a sufficient explanation 
is herein given to demonstrate the fact that virtue is not recorded, 
alone, on one side and persecution on the other, but that the 
fanatic zeal of all forms of Christianity was just as intolerant, 
just as unreasonable, and just as unchristian on one side as on the 
other. 

As we read history from an unprejudiced standpoint, we find 
that were we to recite the events which have transpired since the 
days of Martin Luther and John Calvin, and place this narrative 
before a Protestant jury, the members of which had never read 
history, not one could distinguish those perpetrated by the Catholics 
from those committed by the Protestants; and should selections be 
made by this imaginary jury, it is the author's opinion that, as 
prejudice lies with the jury against the Catholics, they would 
select the Reform atrocities as instituted by the Church of Rome. 

But we must bear in mind that the conditions that existed in 
those days were far different from those that exist at the present 
time. Then religion was the great central thought of action. 
If you were a Protestant it was heresy to be a Catholic, and if 
you were a Catholic it was heresy to be a Protestant; and as heresy 



Preface. 11 

was a sin against the law, then by law it must be punished. 
Christians were ignorant of the divine teachings of Christ, who 
taught love, charity, and obedience. They were raised under the 
discipline of force, and force must be the means of converting men 
to the true -worship of God. If men failed to observe the law of 
religion then there must be applied the force of what we now call 
oppression and persecution, and when it was a bold declaration 
of heresy we find that it was regarded as a higher crime than 
treason. Men then looked upon treason as a crime against the 
State, but heresy as treason against God and his Holy Word, and 
as God was the greatest of all authority, so must heresy be the 
greatest of all crimes. If we examine this question under the 
conditions then existing, we find a standard far different from 
the standard of to-day. 

It is here we make the great mistake in our understanding. We 
try to believe that, because things existed then, they may exist 
now, when in reality it is an impossibility. Times change, govern- 
ments change, educations change, and when we arrive at a new 
period we must throw off the old coat of the past and assume the 
new realities of the present. But, my friends, there are some who 
do not seem to know that we are living in the nineteenth century. 
They imagine that it is still the reign of John Calvin, Henry VIII, 
Elizabeth, Oliver Cromwell, William of Orange, or even the Spanish 
Inquisition! They do not realize that we have outgrown those old 
feudal tyrannies, and in the smallness of their vision see the future 
only as it is reflected by the past. 

If you analyze the past, do so with all the surroundings that 
then occurred ; and when you analyze the present, do so 
with what exists now, and not with what belongs to the 
recollections of a dead and historic past. If you cannot believe 
as a Catholic, then believe as your own conscience shall dictate, 
but remember that wherever you go, or whatever you do, your aim 
should be to drop those old prejudices and those old persecutions. 



12 Preface. 

In this enlightened age we cannot afford to question a man 
because of his religion, or because of the religion of his ancestors, 
but to recognize him for his worth to government, to education, to 
society, and to Christianity. The only difference that exists between 
our religious denominations, outside of religious belief, is prejudice 
—not a prejudice that exists by the acts of to-day, but from condi- 
tions which existed ages ago. It is a prejudice more in the line of 
superstition than of any reality. It is a prejudice handed down 
from parent to child and from preacher to preacher. As the people 
have been taught to be prejudiced, and appear to ignore present con- 
ditions, we feel more like pitying their mental condition rather than 
censuring what to them seems a reality. 

As individuals, we are prone to listen to what we hear or read, 
rather than ask ourselves: Is this true? Can these things exist? 
Is this judgment based upon present conditions, or is it based 
upon what once existed? If we depend wholly upon what fanatics 
explain, then we remain in the same intolerant condition as they, 
but if we depend upon what really exists, what we see, what is in 
accordance with reason, then we outgrow prejudice and inconsist- 
ency, and meet all forms of Christianity upon the same level of 
equal rights and justice. 

Again I say, this volume is not written in the interest of any 
creed, but in the interest of facts as they have existed, and as they 
exist to-day. It is written to dispel these three enemies of Christi- 
anity— Intoleration, Bigotry, and Ignorance, and while I am not a 
member of any church, and have never received the blessings of 
baptism, yet I will do all within my power to hasten the day when 
persecution shall cease, and the grand trutlhs of God will be known 
to all men. Therefore I will say to my Protestant, friends, study 
these questions from a real desire for knowledge, cast off your preju- 
dices, and be guided by what is in existence to-day. If you do this, 
when you analyze the foundation of religion, and of faith, you can 
clasp the hand of your Catholic friend, and see in him, as he sees 
m you, the desires of a true Christian. 



Preface. 13 

I may not succeed in convincing you that these conditions, as 
herein described, do actually exist, yet I trust you will not cast tlhis 
book aside as unworthy a careful study. If I have made a single 
statement which seems to you as inconsistent, as a fallacy, or as a 
misstatement, it is my earnest desire that you look to the historic 
facts concerning it. While I believe the records of history will sus- 
tain my position, yet it is your duty to convince yourself, as 1 have 
done. I do not ask that you shall become a Catholic, or a Protestant, 
but that you shall seek the truth, and in seeking, you will not for- 
get the duties of a true Christian. 



L^f / /V • loh<^% 



Mukwonago, Wis., 
December 25, 1898. 



CHAPTER I. 

MY CONFESSION. 

AS I review the pages of this book I cannot understand 
how I could have conceived the idea of writing this 
short history of some of the trials and persecutions of the 
Catholic Church. I know of no reason why this subject 
should have suggested itself to me. Up to this time I had not 
discussed it with individuals, as I felt there was a history I 
did not care to disclose. I frankly admit I carried a prejudice, 
not from anything I had ever seen, but from the teachings of 
those who professed to have made it a study. I had never 
stopped to consider whether bare assertions were facts or not. 
I had had no inclination to investigate, and while I paid very 
little attention to the wild expressions of intoleration, yet it 
unconsciously left an impression that somewhere in the misty 
past the Catholic Church was not what it ought to have been. 
And why should I not feel this impression? I took no 
Catholic literature; I asked no Catholic advice; and what I 
learned was from a source calculated to prejudice and not 
to enlighten me on the facts. The teaching was one-sided 
in all its details, without contradiction, and as I now find it, 
without confirmation. It was largely the invention of imag- 
ination, and I dare say many of those teachers honestly believed 
in their own statements. But if they will do as I have done, 
reject the writings of extremists, they will find a condition and 
causes different from what they now see. 

15 



16 Christian Persecutions. 

So I say to my readers and to the world, drop assertions 
made to foment feeling, or analyze them on the 'basis of your 
own investigation. Do not let others assume that they know 
the history of the past, the present, and the future. Accept 
•the present as you see it, analyze the past as it existed, and 
you need have no care for the future. 

But I will return to the causes which led me to think, 
to read, and to write: The thought came to me one night 
when, during one of my wakeful hours, I lay thinking of 
almost everything conceivable. I thought of life, of death, of 
immortality, and of God. In these thoughts I asked myself, 
What is God? What is the Church of Christ? Who are the 
true teachers of the Bible and of God? Here we have a 
legion of churches — are they all the true expositors of im- 
mortality? When did they come into existence? Are not 
churches and creeds made by men? What was the Reforma- 
tion? How did the Reformation affect the Catholic Church? 
What is the Catholic Church anyway? What is its mission? 
Is it a church of persecution and of intolerance? What was 
it in the early years of Christianity? What was it in the 
Dark Ages? In the sixteenth century? In the days of 
Napoleon Bonaparte? What is it to-day? These thoughts 
led me to think of investigation, of reading, and of inquiry. 

In the study of history, did I consider the story of the his- 
torian infallible? Are not historians liable to err? Is it not a 
common error of mankind to believe what we read or hear 
when we are in a condition to become favorably prejudiced? 
Are we not full of prejudices? Do we not transmit these prin- 
ciples to our children? When we listen to the minister in the 



My Confession. 17 

pulpit preaching on Catholic infidelity to mankind, are we 
not listening to a prejudiced illustration of his thoughts and 
his story? Did he interpret the causes in the true light of 
Christianity? Or was it to build up his own faith at the 
expense of others? Is it a part of his stock in trade, and 
must he advertise his goods by crying down the goods of 
his neighbor? Is there any selfish interest in his mode of 
operation? Is your Catholic neighbor any different from any 
other neighbor? Is he different in the next town, in the next 
State? Is he different anywhere on God's earth? If he is 
proven by companionship as a true friend, an obliging neigh- 
bor, and a patriotic citizen, has he not then been misrepre- 
sented? 

While I know that some of my dearest friends are Catho- 
lics, and I know and feel their love and devotion, am I not 
prejudiced when I think evil of those who are abroad? Is 
this a just judgment? Have I a right to be prejudiced be- 
cause of the teachings of others? Am I to be unreasonable 
and inconsistent when my surroundings prove the opposite? 
Is history true? Isn't it true that two men, or twenty men, 
may write history and fail to agree except in the bare fact 
of an incident? Are not facts and causes two distinct ele- 
ments in the exposition of history? If history is written by 
a fanatic, are not his causes based upon fanaticism? If written 
by a faction, is it not in the interest of that faction? Does 
it not- make a vast difference how we view a subject, how our 
feelings run in the controversy? If we look through a red 
glass is not the vision red? If through any other color, or 
controlled by any faction or prejudice, is not the result exactly 
in line with the cause of inspiration? 



IB Christian Persecutions. 

Have I a right to listen to others and not ask myself 
through what glass is the speaker looking? Then, in sum- 
ming up all those prejudices, am I not unjust in harboring 
thoughts of unworthiness? And now, to speak in plain lan- 
guage, are not the Protestant Churches arrayed against the 
Catholic wholly on the lines of prejudice? And is it not 
fair for me to suppose that this opposition is due, in some 
small degree at least, to a stock in trade? 

Isn't preaching a profession, and do not all men apply 
their abilities in the advancement of themselves in their pro- 
fessions? How many ministers look for a call except to bet- 
ter their condition? Is preaching, as now conducted, for 
humanity or for self? 

These are dreadful questions to ask, but is there not some 
truth in them? Then, as we view this whole line of opposi- 
tion, of prejudice to the Catholic Church, is it not persecu- 
tion? Not such persecution as in the days of Nero, or of 
the sophistry of Voltaire, of Paine, or of Ingersoll, but of 
that of one form of Christianity against another? In this 
respect, is not this Church persecuted by all the other 
Churches? 

As these thoughts came to me I resolved to read, not 
through the eyes of others, but through my own eyes. I 
purchased books and literature. I called up the history of 
encyclopedias. I borrowed books, and in my research I 
resolved to take facts, and, as far as possible, to reject the 
prejudices of others. I laid aside the most enthused Catho- 
lic writers as having their glasses too highly colored. I 
sought for causes, because I wanted to satisfy myself, to 
satisfy my own mind, and not the mind of others. 



My Confession. 19 

I read Robert G. Ingersoll in order to gather the sub- 
stance of his teachings. I took ancient history; the history of 
the Apostles; the Dark Ages; the life of Martin Luther; the 
history of France; the history of the Huguenots; tfhe history of 
England; the history of Henry the VIII; the history of the 
Catholic Church; the life of Pope Leo XIII, and many mag- 
azines and papers. Some books I threw away and would not 
read. They were too full of malignant vituperation to be of 
any service to me. These books only served to more con- 
clusively impress me with my convictions that I had been 
looking through colored glasses. 

Once I might have believed these assertions, but now I 
had gone beyond this field of extravagance. I could see the 
venom, the sting, the old animosity, and the old prejudice. 
I had no time to read such trash, and I threw them away as 
not suited to my purpose. They only confirmed my first sus- 
picion of stock in trade; now, however, they were shop-worn, 
dirty, out of style, and not worth an examination. The world 
was growing to a more intelligent, more reasonable, and 
more tolerant condition. The old superstitions, vagaries, and 
prejudices must bid good-bye to the new lessons of true 
inspiration, true benevolence, and true Christianity. 

We are not what we were centuries ago, or even in the 
past generation. The days of bodily persecution are over, 
and soOn tlhe days of bigotry will follow the long line of 
jealousies, misrepresentations and abuse. We are entering 
a field of intelligence where we are having a broader thought, 
a grander elevation of faith, and a more noble Christianity. 
The day of establishing new creeds and new isms will now 



20 Christian Persecutions. 

close, and the grand thought of Reformers will be, not how 
much can be torn down, but how much can be built up, 
how much can be united, how we can better work together, 
and how cement the religious desires of all men. 

The evil of the world is united and travels the same broad 
road to destruction. Sometimes it seems to me as though it 
was growing stronger and stronger each year, while Christi- 
anity has been quarrelling over who shall save the wicked, 
relieve distress, and preach the true doctrine of repentance. 
But as years go by there will be a gradual strengthening of 
the bonds of union in the great cause of Christ and the gospel 
of truth. It is even whispered now that the Episcopal Church 
of England is leaning to its old rival, the Church of Rome, 
and it is not impossible that the powerful Greek Church of 
Russia may yet return to its first love. And so we may 
say of every creed and ism, there is a change of sentiment 
going on continually. Although almost imperceptible at times, 
yet it is approaching the time when we are coming nearer 
and nearer to a perfect union, when the hatred and animosi- 
ties shall cease, and when the dread suspicion of intolerance 
shall be no more. 

As I now stand I see the Catholic Church as I never saw 
it before. I see that in all its trials and persecutions it comes 
out stronger and stronger in its discipline, and stronger in its 
bond of union. 

I read Martin Luther and see that if the Church had 
adopted his ninety-five theses, then John Calvin, Ulrich 
Zwingli, and other reformers would have demanded a recog- 
nition of their ideas, and there would have been no Church, 



My Confession. 21 

only a confusion of individual ideas and individual theology. 
Had the Church yielded to Henry the VIII, there would 
have been a compromise in crime, and by its permission of 
sin it would have gone down in disgrace and ruin. Individ- 
uals may err, sin, and fall, but because of this we have no 
rigfat to condemn others, or to condemn the churdh that seeks 
to build them up, to sustain them in their weakness, and to 
bring them to repentance. 

In all the trials which have existed, and all the persecu- 
tions that have been hurled against the Catholic Church, not 
one has struck a fatal blow. While the Church may have 
staggered in its adversity, yet in the dawn of its recovery, 
the sun of Christianity has shone brighter, its rays have been 
purer, and its influence more lasting. 

And now, if by these efforts I may be the means of 
eliminating some of the old prejudices which still cradle their 
thoughts in the minds of men, then good will result to all. 

We ought to be broad enough to throw aside the incon- 
sistencies of to-day and accept the results as they are, and 
not what may have been told us in ages past. It matters 
not what may have been the objects and desires of the 
Churches hundreds of years ago. Those Conditions cannot 
exist at the present. What may have been required then is 
not required now. The world was not broad then — it was 
narrow and contracted; but we are now grown beyond the 
ignorance of petty jealousies, and, ought to know and feel 
that prejudice and bigotry must sooner or later be consigned 
to the past. With freedom of speech, of press, and of religion, 
there is no longer an excuse for misrepresentation, intoler- 
ance, and persecution. 



22 Christian Persecutions. 

With this statement of the condition of what has been 
and what ought to be, and my carefully-arranged narrative of 
the facts of history drawn upon the basis of honest inquiry, 
and not from the side of a partisan or fanatic, I most ear- 
nestly dedicate this book. May its pages be the means of 
producing thought, independent of what others may say, or 
have said. May we all think, and feel, and talk from the 
standpoint of to-day, and may its influence assist in elevat- 
ing mankind, uniting the influences of good, and thus advanc- 
ing the cause of true Christianity. 



M 



CHAPTER II. 

EARLY HERESIES. 

ARTYRDOM is the fiery ordeal through which the 
power of God in Christianity is gloriously made mani- 
fest. It is proof of the wondrous stability of the Church, the 
undying, the imperishable and immortal faith that is the base 
of its foundation. It is not the passion of blind fanaticism, 
or heretical fidelity to imagination, but is the genuine testi- 
mony of the glorification of the Christian Church. It is 
God's testimony to the world that even persecution and death 
cannot raise a barrier against His Holy Word. It is an evi- 
dence of the all-consoling truth that the gates of hell shall 
never prevail against it. 

While the Roman emperors sought to destroy the Chris- 
tian religion by the sword and persecution, the sophists and 
philosophers, its enemies, sought by arguments to confute 
the teachings of Christ, just as the unbelievers of the present 
day seek to play upon the passions of men and proclaim that 
religion is the result of imagination, and cannot be, and yet 
no persecution of fire or sword, no power of sophistry and 
cunning, could prevail against the everlasting truth. 

The literary talents of eminent pagans were employed 
to prejudice the world against Christianity. They were to 
testify against the divinity of Christ, against his power of 
salvation and against the resurrection. They were to repre- 
sent him as a man incapable of divine power, incapable of 

23 



24 Christian Persecutions. 

performing miracles and incapable of being the Son of God. 
Of the production of these eminent writers, three were 
so cunningly devised that many were persuaded against the 
faith, and the spread of Christianity seemed at a standstill, 
but from the slow power of recovery there arose a more 
perfect union between God and man. The power of dis- 
cernment between sophistry and truth grew plainer and plainer 
until the foundation of the Church was made to endure 
forever. 

The first great work against Christ was by the philosopher 
Celsus, who, in the year 150, wrote a tirade of malignant 
abuse, not in the language of base antagonism, but in that 
of subtle craftiness. He represented as having discov- 
ered the foundation of Christ's authority and his power of 
performing miracles. It was represented as an educational 
treatise based upon a careful study and analysis of the con- 
ditions, and while to Christians it was an exposition of mali- 
cious calumnies, yet the frankness of rebutting testimony 
had more the appearance of truth than a wilful design against 
our Blessed Savior. 

This was, perhaps, the most logical interpretation ever 
prepared by pagan opposition. It was eloquent in appeal, 
manly in demonstration and dangerously subtle in its dis- 
cussion. Christ was represented as a skillful conjurer, a 
powerful magician, a wily exponent of heresies, and of sus- 
picious origin. He described his manner of travels and teach- 
ings as beneath the dignity of a Divinity; He went about 
with a miserable company of poverty-stricken publicans and 
fishermen, performing, by the art of witchcraft, fictitious mil*- 
acles, and finally dying by the hand of the executioner. 



Early Heresies. 25 

He logically demonstrated the impossibility of a Divine 
being coming from poverty and associating himself with the 
vilest element of society. He described the followers of 
Christ as a class of people living upon the excitement of the 
day, without moral principles, a class of heretics, dregs of 
society, and proselytes made in the most shameless manner. 
That Christ worked upon the ignorance and superstitions, 
and beingf associated with poverty and wretchedness, his 
followers must be composed of criminals and vicious people. 
He discussed the absurdity of the declaration that Christ's 
religion would be known of all nations of the earth, and in 
God's own time would subdue paganism and establish this 
new creed. 

This author, in his book, "The Word of Truth," asserts 
that the moral law of Christians is neither holy nor new, con- 
sisting of fables and absurdities, opposing every rational prin- 
ciple, and calculated to captivate simple and stupid people. 
The object of the book was to generate prejudice and destroy 
conversions, which were rapidly swelling the ranks of the 
Christians. 

While it represented Christ as of suspicious origin, yet 
it portrayed him as being possessed of a mythical god, who 
had fallen into disfavor, and now sought to direct his powers 
of craft and to assist him in the development of startling 
revelations. From this source his followers were deceived 
as to his origin, his power and his divine attributes. 

And w r hile it seems a sacrilege toi associate Christ with 
the sophistry of pagan invention, yet in the persecution of 
Christian faith we find the logic of enemies as powerful as 

(3) 



26 Christian Persecutions. 

bodily crucifixion. The persecution of Nero destroyed the 
body, while the logic of Celsus poisoned tJhe mind with the 
seeds of prejudice, irreverence, and idolatry. While one 
wrought physical pain, the other destroyed Christian influence, 
the hope of salvation and the soul of man. 

Failing to accomplish the destruction of faith by the logic 
of argument and absurdities, another writer, Lucian, appears 
some years later and adopts a new line of defense. He is 
witty and sarcastic, and where the old calumnies and mis- 
representations fail to impress he creates attention by ridicule 
and witty utterances. He describes the Christians as harm- 
less and good-hearted blockheads, ready to become the vic- 
tim of every charlatan; that their enthusiasm was due to a 
simpleness of mind; born without reason and fit subjects for 
impostors and false demonstration. This frivolous scoffer 
makes levity of their martyrdom, ascribing the cause to blind 
fanaticism, but in his recognition of their love for one an- 
other he unintentionally contributes to the beautifuk. testi- 
mony of the virtue of Christianity and the abiding faith of 
its followers. Where argument could not prevail ridicule 
found lodgment, and Lucian deterred many from embracing 
Christianity. 

The attempt to destroy the teachings of Christ by vin- 
dictive and malicious declarations having failed, and the 
crafty cunning of wit and sarcasm having lost its power, a» 
new plan is presented by the enemies of Christ. They see 
the nakedness of the religion of mystical gods, therefore it is 
proposd to reorganize the pagan faith by making it purer and 
more acceptable to the people, and all the philosophers were 



Early Heresies. 27 

again called to publish a system more in harmony with the 
advancement of Christianity. It must be something new, 
pleasant and enticing. The old objections must be stricken 
out, the number of gods diminished and some form of a 
Christ instituted to represent more than the Christians' Christ. 

Comparison was now the question under discussion, and 
in this comparison superiority for the pagan was always ren- 
dered. As an illustration, we find one character in particular 
who is set up as a demigod, who was born in a miraculous 
manner, who passed his youth in holy retirement, preached 
a sublime doctrine, worked miracles and ended his life in 
a mysterious manner. 

Also, we find the philosopher Pythagoras as idolized and 
invested with all the attributes of a divine being. He was 
described as a supernatural hero, who appeared on earth in 
human form, who prophesied coming events, wrought mir- 
acles and founded common justice to all men. Pythagoras 
was proclaimed greater than Christ, and Christians were ex- 
horted to follow him. It was pointed out that he possessed 
everything possible with Christ, that he was superior in birth, 
in the following of men, and in his departure from earth. 

Had Christ contained the divinity of Pythagoras he would 
have saved himself from crucifixion. The one fell a victim 
of execution; the other, by his own miraculous power, as- 
cended to heaven. Thus failed all the skillful contrivances to 
deceive the people in the worship of the true God. Their 
crafty plays upon the imagination and their artful and in- 
genious testimony of falsehood was of no avail. The Church 
of God was founded upon the rock of Peter, and all sophistry 



28 Christian Persecutions. 

of pagan philosophy and all the persecution of Roman tyrants 
could not prevail against it. 

The first system of religion, or rather doctrine, outside of 
pagan mythology and its reorganization, which seriously 
threatened the existence of the Church, was the heresy of 
Gnosis, one of the so-called philosophers in the first ages of 
Christianity. This self-ordained philosopher evolved a new 
doctrine which he termed a true philosophical interpretation 
of the Christian religion. He claimed a deeper wisdom than 
all the disciples of Christ, and strove to explain the existence 
of God and his creations, to explain Christ and his mission, 
to demonstrate the difference between mind and matter, and 
lastly, to explain the soul and its relation to God. 

These were great questions, but in his broad assurances 
and boldness of declaration he won admiration, then expres- 
sions of belief, in his great exposition of infinite knowledge. 
This Gnostic doctrine combined Oriental theology and Greek 
philosophy with the doctrine of Christianity. They held that 
all natures, intelligible, intellectual, and material, are derived 
from Deity by successive emanations, which they call Eons, 
or divine spirits. They represent the Supreme Being as 
Bythos, who stands at the head of all creation in a world of 
spirits. With him it is either a principle of good or evil. 
From Bythos emanates the world of spirits, called Eons, who 
assist in governing the universe. The god, Demiurgus, is 
the author of the body and Bythos the producer of the soul. 
As the soul is of divine origin and the body of earthy matter, 
the uniting of two opposite elements is unnatural, and a union 
of contradictory elements is the source of evil. The Eon, 



Early Heresies. 29 

Christ, was sent to communicate with the souls of men and 
inform them of a higher life, and to seek to overcome the 
evils of body, and be prepared to rise in its line of progression. 

Much of this part of the belief is a doctrine of to-day, 
where the soul is a progressive spirit going on and on in a 
successive series of improvement until it reaches its future 
perfection. 

According to Gnostics this Eon, Christ, united with the 
man, Jesus, where he could better communicate with the 
souls of men and teach them the path to the highest plane 
of spirit life. They teach that not all Eons are capable of 
even spirit life, but as they represent all life they remain as a 
germ in all matter which, under proper conditions, is brought 
into real existence. As the egg requires heat to produce 
life, so in all matter the germ of production is ever ready for 
future existence. 

The Gnostics divide men into three classes: The Spir- 
itual, Physical and Material. The Spiritual are those capable 
of sustaining the greatest knowledge, the Physical pertains 
alone to faith, and the Material, w T hich, under the present 
Eon, must fall into space and wait for another creation. 

To divide these classes into doctrines off faith, the Spiritual 
are the real Gnostics, the highest order of worldly spiritual 
attainment; the Physical is the Catholic, and founded on faith; 
while the Material is the unprepared Spirit, or Pagan. 

They also divide their doctrine into two other divisions — 
one, the esoteric, or secret; the other, exoteric, or public. 
These are taken from Pagan mysteries and described some- 
what in mythological language. The secret, is the con- 



30 Christian Persecutions. 

science, the soul speaking to the body, the motive power of 
the brain, the spirit Eon. The public, is the declaration of 
the body, the call for life, the mind # speaking to matter, the 
worldly thought. 

The Gnostics claim this heresy was taught by Christ and 
his Apostles, and to sustain their doctrine they destroyed por- 
tions of the Holy Bible and rebuilt it to* meet their wants. 
While Gnosticism claims to be the real Christianity, yet it 
is in utter contradiction to it. It is a positive negation, for 
its teachings are simply a system of progressions from the 
germ to the highest plane of spirit life. Besides this, they 
teach that the highest Eons control the Mind, Reason, Power, 
Truth, and Life; that they are continually speaking to the souls 
of men, warning, entreating, consoling and instructing. 

Thus we find that the enemies of Christ's Church are 
continually, even to the present day, devising creeds and isms 
to defeat the real truth of God. Satan is ever ready to tear 
down, and even under the cloak of religion, seeks to build 
up a new church and a new dogma of worship. It is a con- 
tinual warring upon the real faith of Christ and the martyr- 
dom of the Holy Catholic Church. 

From the birth of Christianity to the present time has 
been one of constant resistance, constant sacrifice, and con- 
stant application to faith. Men have laid down their lives to 
sustain it, and the Church has continually fought to main- 
tain it, and both have been constant martyrs, and will be, 
from the days of their existence to the end of time. 



CHAPTER III. 

PERSECUTION. 

IN a review of the persecution of the Catholic Church we 
are indebted to history for the facts concerning it, and, 
although, in this volume, it is impossible to give a minute 
description of the long line of persecutions, yet we can give 
some of the prominent features, leaving the reader to ponder 
in his mind what must have been the awful situation during 
the first establishment of the Church, and during many peri- 
ods of agony in the history of our Christian Era. 

Our established period of time dates with the \ birth of 
Christ, and is the beginning of the Christian era. Previous 
to this time religion was divided into two principal classes — 
the Pagan mythology, and the old Jewish worship. The 
Jews had been God's chosen people, but in their rejection of 
Christ a new religion was ordained, a new Church estab- 
lished, and a new doctrine of faith was preached to the people. 
Christ came into the world to set an example, to teach 
repentance, to practice humility, to destroy idolatry, and to 
bear persecution. He found the world without faith in God, 
hope in immortality, or charity to mankind. It was a strange 
combination of intelligence, ignorance, superstition, and bar- 
barism. The people were intelligent in the pursuits of life, 
but ignorant in the knowledge of Divinity. They were super- 
stitious in all the movements of nature, and brutal and bar- 
baric to those who opposed them. 

31 



32 Christian Persecutions. 

They regarded Christ as a man, and God as the mani- 
festation of many gods. They worshiped a deity, but believed 
the spirit of that deity lived in their idols, and was capable 
of exercising pleasure, wrath, or punishment. They loved 
their gods with the devotion of blind fanaticism, and when 
the new light of Christianity blazed forth in the glory of 
Christ, they were jealous lest they should lose their gods, 
and the power they supposed watched over them would be 
removed forever. 

It was this fear that first raised their enmity against 
Christianity, and as they saw its zeal and influence, they 
sought to crush it out, first by a series of slow persecutions, 
tfhen by confiscation and pillage, then by fire, death and cruci- 
fixion. Those persecutions were most terrible to contemplate. 
In the confiscation of property they destroyed their churches, 
deprived them of the liberty of worship, burned the emblems 
of Christ and his crucifixion, and publicly denounced them 
as heretics, offenders of the gods, and declared their religion 
as dangerous to government, dangerous to the people, and 
should be suppressed. 

The weak often yielded to these persecutions and re- 
nounced Christ, but the faithful stood firm and unmoved, 
permitting the confiscation of their homes without murmur or 
complaint, viewing the destruction of their churches with 
calmness, and even smiling as they lay down their lives for 
the cause of Christianity. Beyond these mortal trials came 
the visions of reward, the triumph of truth, and the estab- 
lishment of the rock of salvation. Although they could not 
realize how the hand of God was purifying his church by 



Persecution. 33 

winnowing, through affliction and distress, the weak and wa- 
vering, yet they felt that the love of faith was a blessing far 
greater than the pain of persecution. 

From our knowledge of to-day we see that these ene- 
mies of Christ's Church were but instruments in God's hand 
to establish a permanent religion, a permanent gospel of 
Christ's love and devotion, a permanent instrument for re- 
ceiving God's word, and 1 a permanent faith for the deliver- 
ance of man from the pagan world. We now see the neces- 
sity of persecution, confiscation, slavery, and even the call 
to die a martyr's death. It was to convince the world 
that the faith of Christianity was stronger than all the tor- 
ments devised by man. It was to establish a true religion and 
implant Christ's salvation in the hearts of all mankind. 

The pagan world was made to feel that in this new Chris- 
tianity there was something greater and grander than the 
worship of idols. It was made to see that there was a reality 
in religion, a reality in the profession of this faith, when men 
would suffer the pain of persecution, of confiscation, of fire, 
of mutilation of body, and of death. 

These pagans could not understand how Christians could 
suffer and not forsake the cross of their faith. It was a new 
order of things to them. While life to this people was the 
greatest of all desires, and for which they would sacrifice 
all pleasure, all possessions and all their gods, yet here was 
an abiding faith against which all the persecutions of hell 
could not prevail. The martyr's blood was but the cement- 
ing of faith eternal. Like Christ, they gave their lives that 
the foundation of faith and redemption might be established 
forever. 



34 Christian Persecutions. 

To do this required God's persecution through the hands 
of his enemies, that the whole world might see the glories 
of His Church established by His only begotten Son, and to 
endure forever. These measures may seem harsh and unnat- 
ural, but we know that it is only by trouble and mis- 
fortune that we find our real friends, and see the departure of 
those who smile only when life's success is with us. So, 
too, is it true in the proof of faith. The love of God in our 
hearts is manifest when we enter the field of persecution. If 
it is there it is proved beyond question, and at the same time, 
if there is a lack of faith, that, too, is an open proof. God 
weighed His disciples, and in weighing through the persecu- 
tions of the body found the dividing line between the weak 
and the strong. 

In persecution, not only were there simple Christians who 
fell by the wayside, but even priests and bishops renounced 
their faith and returned to the Pagan gods, and even gave 
sacrifices to them ; but be it to the great glory of the earnest- 
ness of early Christianity, few renounced their faith, thus 
leaving a purified church, without spot or blemish. Like a 
cleansing fire it cast out the dross, leaving only the rock of 
endurance. It had cast out the impure elements, which would 
antagonize the true spirit of Christianity and become danger- 
ous in the examples to be placed before the world. 

Upon a small monument over the grave of the author's 
only sister is inscribed the following epitaph: 

Hard at times seem the ways of God, 

When He takes to Himself what He has given; 
When we lay our idols under the sod, 

Leaving naught hut a thought of heaven. 



Persecution. 35 

Yes, hard at times seem the ways of God when we meet 
affliction, when our loved ones die, when our supposed friends 
drop behind us, when we are villified, persecuted with false- 
hood, and unjustly judged. But in all this persecution, let 
us remember that, like the radiant light cast by the crucifixion 
of Christ and his Apostle Peter, and by the establishment of 
His Church upon the rock of immortality, the faith in God 
can never fall. Remember that, although we may become 
martyrs to worldly persecution, yet the everlasting lines of 
the poet can never die. 

"Truth crushed to earth shall rise again, 
The eternal years of God are hers; 
But Error, wounded, writhes with pain, 
And dies among his worshipers." 



CHAPTER IV. 

RETROSPECT. 

CEW, excepting those who have made a study of the 
origin and progress of the Catholic religion, realize the 
terrible persecution which the Christians suffered in the early 
days of the Church. When we contemplate the deep intensity 
and the wicked determination of the enemies of Christianity 
to crush it out of existence and destroy the religion of Christ, 
we can only wonder how one single soul could ^withstand 
the awful cruelty, the awful test of faith whicln the pagan 
world, without mercy or compassion, forced Christians to 
bear. Frenzied with madness at their inability to compel 
them to renounce their Savior, they decreed the direst punish- 
ment which blood-thirsty monarchs could invent. Not con- 
tent with the confiscation of property and imprisonment, 
these martyrs to Christ's Church were tortured beyond 
description. No pen can picture the awful cruelties which 
were imposed upon them. Taken from dark prisons reeking 
with vilest filth almost to suffocation, with stones for pillows, 
threatened with starvation, without water to quench their 
burning thirst, scourged with whips until the body dropped 
from exhaustion, tortured with fire, with rack, with all the 
devilish ingenuity which a monarch could devise, and then, 
in contrast to this wretched and all-consuming pain, offered 
freedom of life, the sweets of plenty, the promotion of place, 
the society of equals, and all the favors of life, and beauty, 



Retrospect. 87 

and indulgence. With woe, misery and death on one side, 
and apparent happiness and plenty on the other, is it not, 
indeed, a miracle that one follower of Christ could still be 
found? Although the Christians suffered the tortures of a 
thousand deaths, and knew the unspeakable agony they must 
endure, yet without a word of malice or reproach, without 
complaint they would turn away from the proffered feast of 
plenty and face the hideous penalties of persecution, suffering 
themselves to be devoured by beasts, torn limb from limb by 
racing horses, burned at the stake by a slow fire and enduring 
the horrors of a lingering death, to be crucified head down- 
ward or racked with the awful devices for torment and pain. 

Who can say that this sustaining faith is not a miracle 
of God? Christ suffered the indignities of persecution and 
died as an emblem of true faith, as a martyr to the establish- 
ment of His Church, and as an example that the eternal 
fruits of devotion can never die. He set the example of per- 
secution, of humility, of devotion to God's love, and in the 
bitterness of pain and death, he exemplified the great prin- 
ciple of forbearance. "Father, forgive, they know not what 
they do.'' He asked of his followers nothing he would not 
do himself. He asked them to be faithful even unto the 
end, to yield not to temptation, but remain an example of 
Christian faith; that it is not of earth we live, but in the 
expectation and promise of eternal life. 

The idolatrous world was in a desperate condition, and it 
required desperate measures to redeem it. The influence of the 
mythical gods had permeated every crack and crevice of the 
social and moral structure of man. God was an outcast among 



38 Christian Persecutions. 

the people He had loved. He had once deluged the world 
that those who loved Him not might be removed from the 
face of the earth. He had saved His chosen people at various 
times, and He had promised them a Messiah, but when Christ 
came they received him not, and to prove to the idolatrous 
world that Christ was indeed sent by God, that he should 
establish a new Church, that redemption through the blood 
of Christ shall be the necessity for future generations, he 
allowed this persecution to prove to the world that the 
Christian's faith was stronger than persecution', stronger than 
life, and stronger than the temptations of Satan. 

To punish his enemies without furnishing proof of devo- 
tion was to inflict a chastisement without .giving the evidence 
of a better life. He must first establish his Church and in the 
devotion of its followers prove its divinity, prove its power of 
endurance, its love to mankind, its forgiveness of evil, and its 
absolution of sin. 

Rome had quenched the fire of truth, and debauchery 
of mind and body was the ruling passion of her people. They 
reveled in the vices of corruption, drank the wine of passion, 
and worshiped the idols of mythical gods. They erected 
statues to Venus, the god of beauty; to Vulcan, the god of 
fire; to y£olus, the god of wind; to Juno, the queen of all 
the gods; to Mars and Neptune, and Minerva and Fortuna. 
They erected altars to all the gods and burned incense to their 
glory, and offered sacrifices to appease their wrath. If any dis- 
aster overtook them they flew to their gods and offered up 
petitions of grief. They consulted them in every transaction 
of life. They bowed before them and supplicated for divine 



Ketrospect. 39 

aid. They were schooled in idolatry, and were lost beyond 
exhortation. They had no faith beyond the faith that their 
myriads of gods could control destiny. 

Had Christ come in all the pomp and ceremony of a 
royal king, had he been clothed in purple robes of greatness, 
the Jews might have received him as the promised Messiah, 
but to be born in a mang-er, to come as a lowly child, to be 
great only in his love for all mankind, was humiliating to 
their proud spirits. They had pictured him as a being full of 
the power of vengeance who would destroy their enemies, a 
leader of conquests, and a king of kings. They had suffered 
trials and tribulations in the expectation of a strong deliver- 
ance, but when Christ appeared as a man without fame or 
fortune, without the evidence of royal nobility, and without 
the apparent power of a conquering hero, they rebelled and 
sought to persecute. They refused his doctrine of faith, of 
forbearance, and of love. They denied his divinity, and with 
the pagan world sought to nullify his mission, destroy his 
teachings, as w r ell as his plan of salvation. 

In view of this reception, it became imperative to establish 
a new church, a new gospel of repentance, and a new foun- 
dation from which the teachings of Christ might be pro- 
claimed to the whole world. On this foundation he author- 
ized his disciples to go into the world and preach repentance. 
Thus was established the Church of Christ. He had no 
creed but the Word of God. He was sent to preach repent- 
ance, to teach compassion, to love thy neighbor as thyself, 
to bear no vengeance or malice, to teach purity of mind and 



40 Christian Persecutions. 

body, to bear persecution, and through the fullness of love 
redeem man from the depths of sin which then prevailed. 

It was the commencement of a new life of atonement, and 
though it was his wish to avoid draining the cup of bitter- 
ness, yet as it was his father's will, he would give up his 
life for the redemption of man. He came in lowly birth to 
teach the people that in the sight of God no favor attaches 
to either position or wealth, no inequality exists but such as 
is caused by the blight of sin, that there are no ties but the ties 
of faith, no hope but the hope of immortality, and no resur- 
rection but by the power of Christ. He died, but through his 
death there arose the bright sun of understanding. Its rays 
fell upon the hearts of ignorance and superstition. The eyes 
of mankind were opened to the beauties of Christianity. They 
saw the wonderful exposition of faith, love and devotion. 
They saw the God of the Universe, in all the glory of his 
greatness, pleading through Christ, our Redeemer, for the 
salvation of all men. It was a new revelation of the existence 
of eternal life. The old theory of Mythology was being ex- 
posed by the existence, or presence, of the Son of God. An 
idolatrous world was for the first time listening to the teach- 
ings of repentance, of true worship, of Christianity. It was 
indeed a revelation — a mysterious future laid open by expla- 
nation, by instruction, and by admonition. It was no longer 
the speculation of philosophy, but the reality of presence, of 
seeing, and hearing. Christ taught, and his words fell upon 
the soil of willing hearts, and the thoughts grew and spread 
as a great tree, sending forth its beauties of expression, its 
light of redemption, and its glorious salvation. 



Christian Persecutions. 41 

But it has been a constant battle of persecution from the 
time Christ came into this life until the present day. At times 
it has been a persecution by fire and sword, of life and death, 
and of confiscation and ruin. At others it has been a persecu- 
tion of liberty, of equal rights, and of despotic oppression. 
Governments have raised the strong arm of power against it. 
Catholics have been denied place and preferment. They have 
been driven from commonwealths, branded as heretics, ostra- 
cised from society, and publicly outraged because of their 
religion. Philosophers of Reason have denied their worship, 
ridiculed their observances, denounced their institutions as 
relics of barbarism, their faith as ignorance, and their cross 
as the fanatic's emblem of misguided hope. All these, and 
more, has the Catholic Church suffered at the hands of per- 
sons of supposed enlightenment. 

The Pope has been stripped of his temporal powers. The 
land of his nativity has been absorbed by the power of the 
State, and while the head of the Church stands to-day as the 
greatest diplomat of all Europe or America, yet in the rights 
of nations the Vatican is shorn of its power to govern, except 
as it touches the heart, the mind, and the conscience. The 
Pope is the great exponent of peace, friendship, and good 
will to all nations. His blessings are spread over all lands, 
over all nations, and into all hearts. His labors are for the 
development of Christianity, for the betterment of mankind, 
and for the advancement of peace, harmony, and prosperity. 

(4) 



CHAPTER V. 

THE TYRANT NERO. 

IN the establishment of Christianity the people of Rome 
were not particularly interested. They heard of the declara- 
tions of this new worship, but as its followers appeared to 
be harmless, and in no way dangerous to government, they 
were not molested, but considered an inoffensive Jewish sect. 
They even appeared willing to recognize Christ as some form 
of a divine being. 

So far did this sentiment gain ascendency among the 
people that the Emperor Tiberius, at one time, contemplated 
placing Christ among the Roman gods, but the crucifixion of 
our Savior in a remote province of his empire caused him 
to forget his purpose, and even to forget the nature of Chris- 
tian teachings. 

This condition of toleration was of short duration, for soon 
the blind fury of an excited and superstitious heathenish pop- 
ulation burst forth in the awful scenes of persecution, and 
continued for the first three hundred years after the birth of 
Christianity. This persecution became so great that it seemed 
as though not one follower of Christ could survive the power 
of tyrants and continue the work designed by God in the 
conversion of a heathen world. 

The commencement of these studied persecutions was 
under the Emperor Nero in the tenth year of his reign, or 
about the year of our Lord G4. The first five years of his 

42 



The Tyrant Nero. 43 

reign he ruled with moderation and equity. During this time 
he was under the influence of the renowned philosopher and 
moralist Seneca, but becoming flushed with the pride of being 
the emperor of the great Roman empire, he broke away from 
the teachings and guidance of his teacher and entered upon a 
career filled with the most horrible crimes and the most de- 
basing luxuries which could be devised. His crimes were of 
almost incredible enormity, and his selfish passions were be- 
yond description. 

The dagger and the poison were the studied means of 
revenge, and also of deliberate murder. The use of poison 
was a regular profession, which was employed by the pagan 
to remove those who had incurred his hatred, or who pos- 
sessed wealth which he sought to obtain. 

So rapidly grew Nero's evil tendencies that in the year 
64, or the tenth year of his government, he determined to 
gratify his desires by seeing a city burn, and according to 
historic records he ordered the burning of Rome, which laid 
in ashes more than one half of that renowned city. It is said 
that, after ordering this conflagration, he retired to the roof 
of his palace to enjoy the spectacle and to amuse himself 
by playing upon his violin and singing the "Sack of Troy," 
a poem which he had composed for the occasion. 

It was soon rumored that Nero had produced the destruc- 
tion of Rome, and the people were loud in their declared 
vengeance against this inhuman treatment. They were about 
to rise in revolt and to demand that Nero should be burned 
as a just punishment for his awful crime, when he cunningly 
raised the cry that he had discovered the power of the Chris- 



44 Christian Persecutions. 

tians. They were in league with the gods of destruction, 
and had now fulfilled the prophecy of their Lord. He accused 
them of conspiring to destroy the city, and as proof of this 
consummation of their prophecies he read to the people that 
the Christian doctrine taught of the second coming of Christ, 
and the destruction of the world by fire. As Rome was the 
center of the world, the power, and the glory of the people, 
it was but natural that they would strike their first blow at 
the head, the center, and from this engulf the whole world, 
destroying all the people except those who followed Christ. 

Nero was alarmed at his own deeds of violence. He had 
aroused his people and now he must circumvent their fury. 
Flaming announcements were posted everywhere. "The 
Christians burned Rome." "The Christians must be de- 
stroyed." "The Christians have defiled our gods." "The 
gods must be avenged." Thus he sowed the seeds of sus- 
picion and of vengeance, and transferred the guilt of Nero to 
the followers of Christ. 

These accusations took root and spread with the rapidity 
of an all-devouring vengeance. The people read these head- 
lines, and they believed the Christians guilty of the destruc- 
tion of Rome, of the practice of a shameful worship, and 
the desecration of their gods. They became willing tools 
in the hands of this treacherous monarch, and they would now 
scourge, kill, burn, or destroy this hated sect of Christian 
followers. They believed the doctrine of the world's destruc- 
tion had begun in the burning of Rome. 

Nero had allayed suspicion, and now he must destroy the 
enemies of Pagan idolatry. The Christians had declared 



The Tyrant Nero. 45 

against their gods, and because of their heresy they must 
be executed. They saw that the influence of Christ was work- 
ing in the hearts of their people, and they cried aloud to 
their gods to' sweep them from the face of the earth. Nero 
was being besieged from every direction to destroy this sect 
of infidelity, to avenge Rome, and to defend their gods. 

He had succeeded in his designs; suspicion was allayed, 
and now all Pagan Rome looked to the Christians as the 
source of their misfortunes. The conversions to Christ were 
daily growing faster and faster, and louder and louder clam- 
ored the people against them. It was now the annihilation 
of Christian worship and not the execution of a supposed 
justice. God was being glorified and His faith was spreading 
in every direction. The Pagan gods were being insulted, 
and the Pagan gods must be preserved. 

Under the reign of this greatest of persecutors the Chris- 
tians were universally assailed, their possessions confiscated, 
their freedom of worship denied, and their bodies persecuted. 
Thousands were sacrificed, and yet the faith grew faster" and 
faster. Slaves, citizens, and even the Senate, were secretly 
recognizing the divinity of Christ. Nero, seeing that Chris- 
tianity was not awed by 'his threats of direful vengeance, re- 
solved to make them a spectacle of public exhibition in the 
arenas where combats between wild beasts and bulls made 
glad the brutal nature of his people. 

He would gladden their hearts with an exhibition never 
before attempted by man. It should be on a magnificent scale, 
grand anU inspiring. Notices were published and criers sent 
in every direction announcing that Nero had decided to pub- 



46 Christian Persecutions. 

licly execute the hated Christians. They were again informed 
of the evil influences of these followers of Christ. All their 
misfortunes were but the visitation of wrath from their myth- 
ical gods for tolerating even the presence of the Christian 
people. 

They were denounced as blasphemers against their gods; 
as developing a system of witchcraft by which they could 
destroy every city on earth; that they hated men, poisoned 
springs and showered curses on Rome and all the temples in 
which their gods were honored. Christ was crucified, but he 
promised when Rome was destroyed by fire, he would come 
again and give Christians dominion over the world. 

People were now aroused in their consternation at such 
wonderful power. They believed in its possibility. Their 
superstitions knew no bounds. They could now understand 
why Rome was destroyed. Away with the traitors, the de- 
stroyers of peace, the murderers of children. They secretly 
meet to practice their shameless ceremonies. They are oath- 
bound to intrigue against Nero, against our gods, and in 
their witchcraft they are dangerous and must be .executed, 
otherwise we shall become their victims and their slaves. 
Arouse, Romans! and crush out this sect of infidelity and 
purge Rome of its curse. 

The people were wild with excitement. Great multitudes 
gathered to demand an execution of justice. The fiery zeal 
of paganism grew fiercer and fiercer. To the lions with the 
Christians! To the lions! was the loud cry of the populace. 
Flaming announcements of the decision of Nero were posted 
everywhere. Floats of every description were carried to in- 



The Tyrant Nero. 47 

flame the passions, bands of little children were escorted 
through the streets crying for justice. The gods were taken 
from the temples and exhibited to the people. Rome was 
mad with intoxication; business was suspended; slaves were 
given a day's freedom; feasts were prepared everywhere, wine 
was served to everyone, and all the ogres of hell were loosed 
to' push the power of frenzy. 

The plans of Nero were fruiting to a thousandfold. All 
Rome clamored to witness the execution of the Christians. 
There was no place to meet this wonderful demonstration. 
It was the largest that the city had ever seen. Build a new 
amphitheater was the command of Nero. Thousands of 
workmen were employed and in an incredibly short space 
of time a vast structure was erected. Its dimensions were 
beyond the thought of possibility. Its grandeur served to 
magnify the greatness of Nero. Gods were erected at the 
entrances to bless the work of Caesar. Rome should be 
exalted and its destruction avenged. Persecution was to de- 
stroy the last vestige of witchcraft. Heresy would be over- 
thrown and Rome would be free. 

The day of execution arrived. The week of revelry had 
destroyed manhood. The wild mobs grew wilder in excite- 
ment. The fever of wine surged in their veins. The mad 
tumult of uncontrolled fury was raging. To the lions with 
the Christians, again resounded from a hundred thousand 
throats. The vast amphitheater was filled to its utmost. The 
great work of execution was to begin. Lions, tigers, leopards, 
and wild dogs were caged, ready for the human feast. The 
shrill notes of the. trumpet sounded, and all- eyes were turned 



48 Christian Persecutions. 

to the arena. A side door opened and a thousand Christians 
entered, each carrying the cross of crucifixion. Although pale 
in the anticipation of death, yet they stood firm and unmoved. 
They knelt upon the sands of the arena in silent embrace. 
They kissed the cross of their faith with feverish passion. 
They raised their eyes to heaven in mute supplication and 
awaited their doom. 

There was a deep roar of the lions as they bounded into 
the arena, but not a muscle quivered in the condemned Chris- 
tians. They were lost in their supplications to God. They had 
raised themselves above the body and were in communion 
with Christ. They had weighed the load of persecution, but 
naught could shake their faith. They chose death to a life of 
idolatry. The die was cast, and all the pagan world could 
not prevail. 

The lions leaped for their prey. Heads were crushed, limbs 
torn from the body, entrails scattered over the sands of the 
arena, and the fumes of blood penetrated to every part of the 
amphitheater. Out with all the wild beasts, came the order of 
Nero. The cages of tigers, leopards and wild dogs were loos- 
ened, and the mob howled in its delight. Pandemonium in 
all its hideous realm now reigned supreme. Men, like in- 
carnate devils, raved in mad delirium. The roar of wild 
beasts added to the crazed and awful scene. Five hundred 
Christians had now perished. The wild beasts were being 
sated with blood. The lions crept back to their dens. The 
tigers had lost their fierceness. The leopards and dogs lay 
down to rest, and yet hundreds of Christians remained un- 
harmed. The infuriated multitude, not yet satisfied, cried, 



The Tyrant Nero. 49 

Crucify them! Crucify them! The patience of the Christians 
only increased the anger of the populace. They would die, 
but they would not repent. They would honor Christ, but 
they would not honor Caesar. Caesar was god, and Caesar 
must be worshiped. 

Slaves were ordered to dig holes and make crosses. Offi- 
cers were sent out to arrest the Apostle Peter and other fol- 
lowers. Feasts were again prepared and more wine served to 
the populace. Holidays were extended. The anticipated en- 
joyment of seeing the Christians flee like wild rabbits from 
the lions and tigers was a disappointment. They were robbed 
of half their anticipated pleasure. Their non-resistance and 
lack of terror incensed them beyond expression. A madness 
seized the persecutors. Mobs wrested Christians from the 
hands of officers and tore them to pieces. Women were 
dragged by the hair until death came to their rescue. Chil- 
dren were dashed against stones. There was no pity. The 
rushing, howling mob came bellowing with rage. Their brute 
natures arose in their insane desire for vengeance. 

The prisons were overflowing with thousands. New vic- 
tims were gathered from every direction and the air seemed 
filled with blood, crime and madness. It was the outbreak 
of hell in all its ghastly fierceness, and yet the true Christian 
remained calm and unmoved. The Romans had never before 
beheld such stolid indifference. They believed they were 
possessed of devils and must be exterminated. The safety of 
the city required it. Caesar and their gods had demanded it. 

The work of building the crosses was finished. That 
vast arena was a sea of crosses. They were planted as a field 



50 Christian Persecutions. 

of corn. Every foot of space was used for crucifixion. The 
work being finished, the multitude was called to witness the 
execution. Again was that amphitheater filled to overflow- 
ing, and again was the populace wild with frenzied joy. The 
Christians were marched in a body before the seat of Nero, 
who, in a loud voice, proclaimed himself the Emperor of all 
Rome, and the divine power of the gods. He asked them to 
renounce their faith in Christ and return to the religion of the 
gods. Thou hast seen the vengeance of my people. Thou 
knowest my power. The lions tore your brethren and drank 
their blood. I will crucify thee as the Jews crucified your 
Christ. Choose ye the two paths — life or death. 

Behold! My voice shall proclaim thy freedom if you but 
denounce your faith. Listen! The people want vengeance. 
They want not one victim, but hundreds, thousands. They 
are met to see thy crucifixion. They believe you are the 
enemies of Rome, of Caesar. They believe you look upon 
our gods as not gods; that you practice witchcraft, harbor 
devils, commune with evil spirits, breed disaster, and above 
all, that you burned Rome. Hear ye, O Christians! Again 
does Nero stoop to offer you life and happiness. What say 
you? 

A hush fell upon that vast assembly. A tall young man 
stepped from the throng of Christians, and raising his arm, 
pointed to heaven, calmly answered: Caesar, thou hast mis- 
judged us. No man can bring aught against us. Our belief 
is one of brotherly love, the care for the sick, the lame, the 
blind, and the friendless. Our lives are one devotion to truth, 
to God, to Christ. Though you slay us, yet will we not be 



The Tyrant Nero. 51 

avenged. Our mission is one of love, and peace, and good- 
will to all mankind. Our faith is in the promise of God, that 
he who endureth to the end shall be saved. The sin you see 
in us is the faith we have in our blessed Savior. It is founded 
upon the rock of Peter and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against us. 

Ye persecute. Why? forsooth, because we are Christians. 
Ye may throw us to the wild beasts, yet ye cannot break 
our faith. Ye may crucify us, tear us limb from limb, yet the 
spirit of Christianity can never die. Rome may thirst for 
our blood, yet the eternal city shall be saved. Nero shall 
die, but Christ shall live. We ask not for life; we give it, 
as Christ gave his, for the salvation of men. The example 
of our faith will live in the hearts of those who come after 
us. Each groan in the agony of our death will be answered 
by a thousand supplications for mercy. We go that Rome 
may live. 

The God of the universe has said that our persecution 
shall not stay the tide of faith, but that it shall increase 
a thousandfold. With this assurance we are glad to 
die; glad to lay down our lives on the same crucifix as He 
who set the example before us. Oh! Nero, your persecutions 
are but agencies to spread the truth of God. We bear you 
no malice, but in the language of Christ we cry: "Father, 
forgive them; they know not what they do." Rome to-day 
thirsts for our blood. Rome to-morrow will bend in suppli- 
cation to the will of God. Blow ye your trumpets; we are 
ready. 

The hush of suspense was broken by, Crucify them! Cru- 
cify them! 



52 Christian Persecutions. 

Nero's face was purple with excitement. He stamped 
his feet with rage. Never before had men dared to address 
him thus. His revenge could be only the consummation of 
his plans. Theirs was a victory in submission. No power 
could break their faith. Threats, prisons, beasts and cruci- 
fixion could not prevail. He was powerless to accomplish 
more than death. A thousand slaves made haste to execute 
the order of Nero. Without hesitation they extended their 
arms lor crucifixion. There was no struggle for life, no 
cry for mercy, no demonstration of terror. With a smile of 
faith they submitted to the terrible pain and closed their eyes 
in submission to the will of ( rod. 

The crucifixion was a scene of blood without excitement. 
The satisfaction to the multitude grew less and less until 
they began to question each other, "What manner of men 
air these"? "These men cannot be guilty of crime." 'They 
show no malice." "What is their faith"? "What is the secret 
of their submission"? "What is their power of control, their 
endurance"? "is their Christ a Divinity"? Thus had com- 
menced the thought of investigation. The leavening power of 
crucifixion was at work, and the multitude of Rome was fast 
leaning to confession. 

Nero was being defeated, but he swore that every hated 
Christian should die. Once more he sought to rid Rome 
of the Christian faith. They had said they would die for 
Rome and they shall die. Not a child shall remain to breed 
this accursed creed. My power shall be obeyed. Is Christ 
greater than our gods? No! Then dow r n with this witch- 
craft, and crush out forever the heresy that is dividing Rome. 



The Tyrant Nero. 53 

Nero gave notice that in two weeks he would prepare a 
great surprise for his people — a new pleasure of such magni- 
tude that the scenes in the amphitheater would be as noth- 
ing. He would astonish them with a new spectacle of Chris- 
tian persecution. The royal gardens would be opened to the 
grand spectacle. It would be a night exhibition. Great curi- 
osity prevailed among the people. What new thing is it 
that Caesar has done? Caesar is grand and powerful, and 
Caesar cannot disappoint. 

The gates were opened and down the long garden of 
beautiful flowers, and shrubs, and trees, and running brooks 
the crowd surged, and great was their amazement. The en- 
tire landscape was dotted with pillars highly decorated with 
gorgeous flowers, with ivy, myrtle and clinging vines. To 
these pillars, almost hidden by the wreaths of ivy, were 
chained the condemned Christians. So great were their num- 
bers that it seemed as though a whole nation was imprisoned. 
Beneath the outward covering was concealed quantities of 
pitch and oil and wood. 

The people were promised a new spectacle of persecution, 
but the preparation of these thousands of pillars with human 
beings produced consternation and astonishment. Hate 
turned to pity, and pity to fear. There was no cry of death. 
The multitude were glutted with blood. Rome was now dead 
to persecution. This last act of Nero was to be the overthrow 
of pagan strength. Christianity must soon prevail. 

Darkness came, and the weird surroundings were broken 
only by the murmur of Christian prayer. The dread suspi- 
cion of an awful woe filled the multitude with fear. The 



54 Christian Persecutions. 

trumpets sounded, and in the twinkling- of an eye each pillar 
was streaming with fire. Darkness was turned to a Jiving 
flame. The flowers, the myrtle and the ivy were withered 
with heat, showing the awful agony of dying Christians. 

Nero's gods were now avenged, but his victory was the 
downfall, of pagan Rome. The populace were smitten with 
remorse, pity and compassion. The attempt to please the 
people produced a reaction of conscience, and the awful sin 
committed in the name of law was finding its torment in the 
remorseful features of the pagan throng as they beheld the 
blackened faces and the charred bodies of the willing vic- 
tims of persecution. The veil of truth was rising, and the 
prophecy of the Apostle Peter, that he would redeem Rome 
and make it the city of God, was yielding to the triumphs 
of faith and devotion. 

The Christians' faithfulness and devotion to divine love 
was winning the people from evil to good. While Nero was 
an enemy of Christ's people, yet in the hands of God his 
relentless persecutions were the means of pagan overthrow 
and the firm establishment of the Church of Christ. By per- 
secution he opened the eyes of the blind, and they saw the 
Christians' faith. They saw that it was stronger than death, 
and that it would live beyond Nero's power. 

Open rebellion threatened to overthrow his power of per- 
secution. The people were murmuring against him, but he 
kept them in subjection by despotism. It was now, not 
a persecution of Christians, but a persecution of those who 
opposed him. Secret conspiracies were formed among the 
nobles to relieve the State of this monster, but plot after plot 



The Tyrant Nero. 55 

was discovered and again and again "the city was filled with 
funerals." Even his old teacher Seneca, whom he had loved 
in the days of his youth, fell a victim to the tyrant's rage. 

Nero, becoming alarmed at these plots of the nobility, de- 
cided to make a tour of the East, and there plunged deeper 
and deeper into every shame, sensuality, and crime. He had 
become the disgrace of the nation, and his wild and uncon- 
trolled passions could no^ longer be endured. The Senate 
arose as one man and condemned him to a disgraceful death 
by scourging, but to avoid which he instructed a slave how 
to give him a fatal thrust, and thus perished the most terrible 
and blood-thirsty tyrant that ever lived. His last words were, 
"What a loss my death will be to art." 

The announcement of the death of Nero was the an- 
nouncement of the victory of Christians over persecution. The 
thousands who had perished were now glorified by the mul- 
titude, who eagerly listened to the teachings of the followers 
of Christ. Hundreds were being baptised, and the faith was 
being fruited a thousandfold. The redemption, of Rome from 
Pagan idolatry seemed to be almost accomplished, but alas! 
the calm which followed was broken by other persecutions 
which ravished the world for three hundred years. Even the 
Jews were persecuted, murdered, and crucified. At Jerusalem, 
in 79, Titus destroyed the Temple, robbed the city, murdered 
a million of its people, and scattered the remnants of the 
Jewish nation to all parts of the earth. 

Thus have we recorded some of the early trials and perse- 
cutions of early Christianity. While we cannot comprehend 
the magnitude of these awful slaughters, yet we must believe 



56 Christian Persecutions. 

that no will, or force of individual character, could have with- 
stood the torments and death which these martyred followers 
of Christ sustained in their faith. To believe that God did 
not help his suffering children in the agonies they endured, 
is to believe that there is no reward for those who ever re- 
main faithful. There can be no other explanation than that 
the Spirit of Christ comforted the heart, consoled them in 
their afflictions and sustained them in their deaths. 

History also informs us that the Apostles, Peter and Paul, 
received the martyr's crown during this period of persecution, 
and that Peter, who was regarded as the greatest leader of 
the Christians, was crucified head downwards. 



CHAPTER VI. 

EARLY CHRISTIAN MARTYRS. 

A FTER the death of Nero the terrible persecution ceased 
**• for a short period, but again broke forth in all its wildest 
terror, and for nearly three hundred years the Church of 
Christ was almost one constant record of the martyrdom 
of the followers of the Faith of God. So unrelenting and 
determined was this pagan conflict, that had Christianity been 
the work of man, it must have succumbed to the blind fury of 
its enemies, but as it was the teachings of Christ, through 
his saints and apostles, and upheld and sustained by the 
power of God, it but more firmly rooted itself into the real 
religion of men, and spread with a grander vigor, and a more 
perfect faith in the undying love for the light and blessings of 
the sanctified crucifixion. 

When we consider that the emperors of Rome were the 
absolute rulers of the world, that they were armed with the 
deadly power of extermination, and that Christianity was 
feeble and in its first existence, how is it possible to account 
for its growth, and the unflinching readiness of its followers 
to submit to persecution and death, except that the divine 
power of God gave them strength and encouragement? 

But in all these adversities, the Church has been miracu- 
lously preserved in this unequal contest. The persecution of 
Nero came like a terrible storm-cloud, breaking with all 
the force of malignant fury, and driving its darts of hate 

(5) 57 



58 Christian Persecutions. 

deep into the body, the mind, the very soul of Christian faith. 
But not once, only, was this tempest of annihilation hurled 
against the Church of God, but at two, three, and even ten 
important periods do we record the same awful details) of 
murder and persecution during- the first three centuries of its 
existence, and yet, through these seeming impossibilities, 
these renewed violences, these repeated scenes of rack, tor- 
ture, and death, the cause of Christianity grew, its adherents 
became more passionately faithful, more determined to resist 
this Pagan infidelity, and more enduring also became their 
hope of future reward. 

The second great persecution was by Domitian, the third 
by Trajan, the fourth by Hadrian, the fifth by Marcus Aure- 
lius, the sixth by Septimius Severus, the seventh by Maxi- 
mums, the eighth by Decius, the ninth by Valerian, and the 
tenth by Diocletian. In each of these periods the Christians 
were subjected to every device known to torture and death. 

While all emperors did not persecute, yet these ten periods 
were terrible to contemplate. The heathen populace were 
superstitious and ignorant, and w r hen their priests declared 
that their misfortunes were the visitations of wrath from 
their mythical gods because of the heresy of the Christians, 
they were willing tools in demanding that Christ's people 
should be rejected from all office, from all favors, and from 
all society; that they were without religious rights, fit only 
to become outcasts, or must be mercilessly exterminated. 
When once an edict for persecution was published, it always 
remained the law. Some emperors did not enforce these 
cruel edicts, but they always remained ready to fan the flame 
into a conflagration and thus start another awful horror. 



Early Christian Martyrs. 59 

For three hundred years; the whole Pagan force of the 
great Roman empire was directed against the suppression of 
Christianity; three hundred years dyed with the blood of a 
countless multitude of martyrs; three hundred years of mur- 
ders, persecutions, and unrelenting desecration against the 
worship of God; and three hundred years of glorious vic- 
tory — not a victory of Pagan bloodshed and oppression, but 
the victory of the Word of God in its sustaining influence to 
hold and maintain the true light, and to spread its faith 
through all the countries of earth. These persecutions not 
only failed to destroy Christianity, but instead, it seemed to 
increase in intensity, to become more expansive; its votaries 
praised God with more fervency, and feared less the awful 
fate decreed by the tyrants for the hated Christian. 

Rome, the capital of the heathen world, and the center 
of all the abominations of idolatry, was more than any other 
place the great slaughterhouse for the children of Christ. 
As it was the center of Christianity, so was it the center of 
persecution. It was here that the great Pagan stream of 
persecution spread with an angry deluge over the whole earth. 
It was here that the deadly strife between Paganism, and 
Christianity was waged with its terrible tide of extermina- 
tion. Rome was mistress of the world, and her idolatrous 
glory had cemented the entire heathen worships, and now in 
her pride she would trample beneath her feet the unyielding, 
the uncomplaining, and the ever-faithful Christian. 

The modesty and purity of the Christian life only served 
to arouse a depraved populace. They were wedded to' the 
corrupting influences of immorality; their lives were pregnant 



60 Christian Persecutions. 

with actions of a corrupt society, of idolatry, and of dis- 
honor. With these attributes of corruption and sinful degra- 
dation, they hated the presence of purity, of simplicity, and 
the divine truths of immortality. 

If Christianity was the true religion of God, then 'this 
countless cruel, inhuman, and depraved multitude must be 
lost in the judgment of the Great Hereafter. Such things 
could not be. Rome was the power of the earth, and in its 
might must be the power of infinity. The Roman emperors 
had decreed against the faith in Christ, and from this decree 
there could be no appeal, no thought of mistaken authority, 
and no deviation from its declared purpose. 

In the writings of ancient historiographers, who were 
witnesses of these terrible persecutions of the Christians, we 
find the same spirit of uncomplaining endurance, the same 
faith, the same meekness and forgiveness, and the same 
undying love for God and His Holy Word. 

In quoting from these testimonials we find a line of evi- 
dence so perfect that no one can doubt that these martyrs 
even gloried in the cross they were destined to carry in the 
great unfolding of God's Christianity. 

"Who would not admire the constancy of purpose, the 
perseverance, the divine love of those who, when scourged 
till their veins were laid open, were enabled by their faith and 
courage to utter neither sigh nor complaint, whilst the very 
spectators, full of compassion, sorrowed for them? The fire 
they endured seemed to them cool, because their soul's eyes 
were opened to behold both the eternal fire which they thus 
shunned, and the glory and blessedness in store for those who 
continued to the end in the faith." 



Early Christian Martyrs. 61 

Eusebius, who was an eye witness, says that he saw them 
"confess the Son of God with joyful courage, heard them- 
selves sentenced to die with smiles, and some to their very 
last breath sang psalms and hymns of praise." 

Other testimony declares that "those who embrace Chris- 
tianity know what is in store for them, and rejoice more 
when they are condemned to death than when they are par- 
doned." 

"Thanks be to God! thanks be to God!" was often heard 
by the holy confessors on hearing their sentence of death. 

So great was their desire to prove toi the world their 
love for Christ, that to die for Him and the Church was their 
highest wish. 

"When Pope St. Sixtus was led out to martyrdom, 
Lawrence, archdeacon of the Roman Church, followed him, 
weeping and saying: 'Father, whither goest thou without thy 
son? Holy bishop, whither without thy deacon'? Nothing 
could console this loving servant of Christ but the assurance 
given him by the aged pontiff that he, too, should follow 
within three days, and after yet greater suffering; and with 
what heroic courage he fought his battle, we all know." 

"Whilst Leonidas, father to the young Origen, lay bound 
in prison for Christ's sake, the boy's desire for a martyr's death 
became so uncontrollable, that his mother could scarcely 
hinder him by her entreaties from delivering himself up to 
the heathen judge. She was even forced to hide his clothes 
to prevent him from leaving the house." 

"With what ardor, too, did St. Ignatius, the aged bishop of 
Antioch, long for the privilege of martyrdom. His one fear, 



62 Christian Persecutions. 

when condemned by the Emperor Trajan to be cast to wild 
beasts in Rome, was lest the fervent prayers of the faithful 
should obtain his release. 'I beseech you,' he wrote during 
his journey to the Christians at Rome, 'that you show not an 
unseasonable good-will towards me. Suffer me to be the 
food of beasts, for I am the wheat of Christ, and being ground 
by their teeth, shall be found God's pure bread. Pray to 
Christ for me, that by these instruments I may become a 
sacrifice to God. I long earnestly for the beasts that await 
me. I desire to find them fierce, and would provoke them 
to devour me quickly, so that that should not befall me which 
has befallen others, of whom the beasts were afraid, and left 
them untouched. Forgive me. I know what is for my good; 
now do I begin to be Christ's disciple. Come fire; come cross; 
come beasts without number; let my bones be crushed and 
my whole body rent; let all the torments of the devil be let 
loose upon me, so that only I become a partaker of Jesus 
Christ. Better it is for me that I should die for Jesus, than 
rule over the whole earth.' On reaching Rome, he heard, 
as a messenger from Heaven, the command given that he 
should be cast immediately to the beasts. As he had desired, 
the lions threw themselves with such fury upon him that but 
a few bones of his body were left remaining." 

Christians of every rank, age, and sex were animated 
with the same heroic purpose. Those whom imperial favor 
had raised to the highest honors, old men bowed down with 
years, delicate women and feeble children, all went forth with 
unflinching joy to deaths the most painful and terrible. 

Sebastine was captain of the imperial body-guard, and a 
favorite of the emperor. Maurice was leader of the Theban 



Early Christian Martyrs. 63 

legion. Others, such as Peter, Dorothaeus, and Gorgonius, 
were chamberlains of the emperors, beloved by their masters, 
residing amid all the luxuries of a court, and loaded with 
marks of imperial favor. But one and all proved themselves 
true disciples of Jesus Christ, and amidst every torture re- 
mained constant until death Go their divine Lord. 

Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem, and a kinsman of our Lord, 
was one hundred and twenty years of age when he suffered 
martyrdom by crucifixion. By the same death the aged Theo- 
dulus, who had seen his descendants to the third generation, 
attained the crown of glory. 

And how many glorious examples are furnished us by 
the weaker sex! Over and over again were the words of 
Lactantius proved true: "Not powerful men only, but chil- 
dren and women, have triumphed in silence over their tor- 
tures ; even fire itself had no power to* make them titter a cry." 

Blandina, who won her victory at Lyons, was a virgin so 
weak and tender by nature, that the faithful feared not a little 
for her constancy. But from morning to evening she endured 
every kind of torment. Her executioners, wearied out, were 
forced to acknowledge themselves vanquished, and marvelled 
that tortures, each one of which would have seemed suf- 
ficient to cause death, should not be able to quell her courage. 
The words, "I am a Christian" ever gave fresh strength to 
the blessed martyr. She was at last thrown before a wild 
bull, who tossed her with his horns, gored her, and trampled 
her to death. 

Agnes, a child of thirteen, crowned 'her pure and innocent 
life with a martyr's death. The only daughter of rich and 



64 Christian Persecutions. 

noble parents, she had early consecrated herself to be the 
bride of her Savior. To remain true to this heavenly Bride- 
groom she feared not the revenge o<f her disappointed suitors. 
When accused of being a Christian, she boldly avowed her 
faith, and denounced fearlessly the folly of idolatry. She re- 
mained unmoved at the sight of the burning pile and the hor- 
rible instalments of torture. She heard her sentence to 
death with joy, went gladly to the place of execution, and 
received her deathblow with unflinching cou.rage. 

The young Soteris, also a member of a noble Roman fam- 
ily, was beheaded at the same time. To break her resolution 
the judge had ordered that she should be struck on the face, 
and she immediately unveiled herself to receive the blows. 
She endured them calmly and tearles.dv, and remained equally 
Steadfast under all the tortures which followed. 

Who can read, without wonder, of the high courage of 
Eulalia, a girl twelve years old, who suffered a glorious 
martyrdom at Merida, in Spain? Her parents had sent her 
into the country that she might be' safe from the fury of the 
Emperor Maximian; but she could not withstand the ardent 
longing which possessed her to suffer and die for Christ. 
She returned to Merida during the night, went boldly before 
the judge and proclaimed herself a Christian. Wishing] to 
spare her youth, he tried in vain by gentle means to induce 
her not to sacrifice herself. Eulalia, to show her contempt 
for idols, pushed an image from the altar, and trampled it 
under foot. The executioners fell upon her in anger, tore 
her sides with iron claws, and burned her wounds with 
torches. Quietly, without a sigh or tear, she endured her 
martvrdom, till she bowled her head and died. 



Early Christian Martyrs. 65 

These are but a few of the countless numbers who suf- 
fered persecution and death in those three hundred years of 
awful Christian endurance. Victims innumerable fell before 
the imperial edicts in every corner of the huge Roman empire. 
Not a place existed in the East or West where Christians 
were not delivered to their mortal enemies. A war of exter- 
mination was waged against them, and the same hideous 
cruelties were practiced in all parts of the empire. There 
was no security against the rage either of emperor or popu- 
lace. Christianity was a plague-spot upon their idolatrous 
worship and Christians must suffer the penalty of death. 

But the last of these great persecutions, that which took 
place under Diocletian, exceeded all the others in violence and 
duration. It seemed as though hell itself had come to earth 
for one final assault. The whole force of Pagan machinery 
was arrayed against even the name of Christianity. The 
decree of Diocletian was to destroy, as the fire burns the 
grass, every form of Christian life, of name, and of worship. 
So extensive were his plans and so determined was he to 
crush the spreading of God's Holy Word, that he believed 
his triumph was already secured, and to celebrate his victory 
over Christianity he constructed triumphal pillars, and arrogant 
inscriptions. He erected marble columns to celebrate "the 
destruction of the name of Christians," and the "universal 
extirpation of the superstition of Christ," and even struck 
off medals bearing the inscription, "After the extermination of 
the Christian name." 

His was a raging tempest of fire, sword, and crucifixion. 
From sunrise to sundown the whole earth was bathed in the 



66 Christian Persecutions. 

blood of martyrs. It was the pent-up rage of an idolatrous 
power, seeking to destroy Christianity and to blot out forever 
the Word of God. Others had failed in 'their blasphemous 
efforts, but Diocletian had vowed that this extermination 
should destroy every root, branch and seed of this accursed 
creed. The gods had long been desecrated by these heretics 
of Christ, and now they should be avenged. His sword of 
destruction was sent into every land, and none were spared 
from his awful executions. 

The old, young, innocent, and strong, fell like leaves in an 
autumn blast, but the swifter the destruction the faster arose 
the new converts to Christ. Not only did they fill his whole 
kingdom, his cities, islands, fortresses, camps, palaces, cor- 
porations, senates, and courts of justice, but they spread the 
light of God among the unknown people of distant and bar- 
barous provinces. They established their Christian influence 
among the Moors, the Germans, Gauls, Spaniards, Scythians, 
Sarmatians, Dacians, Armedians, Egyptians, Medes, and the 
inaccessible tribes of Britain. In every place in which man 
dwelt the faith in Christ ever grew as a strong tree spreads 
its branches in a protecting influence against the hellish 
fury of a Pagan world. 

"The signs and wonders wrought by the confessors of 
Christ, and, above all, the joyful calmness with which they 
encountered torture and 'death in thleir most terrible forms, 
brought to the heathen the conviction that the God of the 
Christians could alone be the true God. Not seldom it hap- 
pened that whilst the most fearful martyrdoms were going 
on, voices were heard to cry from among the heathen spec- 



The Conversion of Constantine. 67 

tators, 'We are Christians also; kill us with them." Thus 
the blood of the martyrs was indeed the fruitful seed from 
which Christians were brought forth in ever-increasing num- 
bers." 

To estimate the millions of martyrs who fell during these 
three hundred years of Pagan butchery is an impossibility. 
In Rome alone, these ancient historians declare, not less than 
2,500,000 suffered death in all the varied forms of persecu- 
tion. Whole cities of Christians were mowed down with this 
pestilential fire of idolatrous oppression. But strong as was 
the arm of despotism, yet stronger still was the blessed light 
of the Spirit of God as he directed his children, and raised 
up from the Pagan world new multitudes to' proclaim Chris- 
tianity as the one true religion of men. Well did Tertullian 
exclaim to the heathens: "Afflict us, torment us, crush us — 
in proportion as we are mowed down we increase; the blood 
of the martyrs is the seed of new Christians." 

THE CONVERSION OF CONSTANTINE. 

Up to the time of Constantine the Great the life of the 
Christian had been one of deepest persecution. During these 
three hundred years the strength of Christianity had proved 
its divine origin. No creed of man, or power of human 
strength, could have withstood the constant martyrdom that 
was continually following these patient followers of Christ. 
Although Constantine was raised a Pagan, yet he was not 
hard in heart, nor oppressive in his edicts. From his father 
he had inherited toleration and compassion. His nature re- 



68 Christian Persecutions. 

volted at the awful deeds of the bloody tyrant Diocletian, who 
had so recently ravished the Christian world. 

The government of Constantine was only a portion of the 
Western division of the Roman empire, and comprised Spain, 
Gaul, and Britain. The rest of this great empire was gov- 
erned by the cruel and licentious rulers, Maxentius, Licinius, 
and Maximm Daia, who were agreed in the persecution of 
Christians. Constantine being considered weak-minded in 
his oppression, and too tolerant in allowing Christian free- 
dom, was declared incompetent to rule for the benefit of 
Pagan Rome, and Maxentius decided l he would overthrow 
his power and establish a true Roman emperor, 

These plans being communicated to Constantine, he 'de- 
cided to cross the Alps, enter Italy, and push his way vic- 
toriously to the very walls of Rome. "The world's fate was 
here to be decided. Constantine feared the superior strength 
of the enemy. In his trouble he remembered the undis- 
turbed prosperity enjoyed by Iris father, Who had always 
been the friend of the Christians, while so many emperors 
hostile to them had died miserable deaths; and in fervent 
prayer he turned himself to the Christian's God. The result 
justified his confidence, and in answer to his prayer, die and 
all 'his host beheld in the sky a shining cross, with the words, 
Tn this sign shalt thou conquer.' He caused a standard to 
be made after the pattern of this cross and borne before him 
into battle." 

Confident of divine aid, Constantine awaited the enemy's 
attack. The superstitious Maxentius had caused the Sibylline 
books to be consulted, and the answer had been, "The foe 



The Conversion of Constantine. -69 

of Rome shall perish miserably." Thus blinded he crossed 
the Tiber and risked a decisive battle. After a severe struggle 
his army fled in wild disorder. Thousands perished in the 
waters of the Tiber, among them Maxentius himself, who 
sprang fully armed into the river and sank in the mud. 

Constantine entered the city victoriously, amid the re- 
joicings of the people. Upon the triumphal arch which the 
senate and people erected to him, and which is still standing 
among the ruins of ancient Rome, this great victory is as- 
cribed to the "decree of God." Constantine, moreover, caused 
his own statue to be set up, holding in his hand the cross, 
with the inscription, ''Through this saving sign have I freed 
your city from the tyrant's yoke, and have restored the Roman 
people to their ancient splendor and high estate." 

Constantine now established the free worship of the Chris- 
tian religion, and in his loyalty to his new faith, he built 
splendid churches, showed great] honor and respect to the 
priests, and in all things pertaining to the Church he con- 
sidered the Pope the true head and authority. From this 
time on Constantine believed he was c'hosen of God to be 
the instrument for aiding the Church in extending to man 
the knowledge of the true faith and worship of God. 

With this faith he immediately began to make laws favor- 
able to the Christians. He assured them that worship should 
be free and unrestrained, and he ordered a restoration of 
all landed estates that had been confiscated during their 
persecutions. In his Christian laws he severely decreed 
against immorality, and to check the practice of child-murder 
so common among Pagans, the Emperotf provided out of 



70 Christian Persecutions. 

the state treasury, or from his private purse, the means by 
which needy parents could support their children. 

He sought, also, in many ways to ameliorate the wretched 
condition of the slaves. Thenceforward any Christian could 
free his slave in church 'in the presence of a priest, without 
the ancient formalities, and to impart to Ihkn at the same 
time all the rights of a Roman citizen. Bounds were set to 
the hitherto unlimited powers of the master. Slaves were 
to he regarded as men, and whoever, therefore, killed a slave 
w r as 'to be dealt with as a murderer. In order to sanctify 
the Lord's Day, public business and servile work was for- 
bidden on it, both to Christians and heathens. 

While Constantine was extending the cause of Chris- 
tianity over his dominions, his brother-in-law, Licinius, had 
assumed, in the East, an increasing hostility to Constantine 
and his Christianity, land resolved, in the year 323, to wage 
a decisive battle to determine which religion would prevail — 
Paganism or Christianity. Accordingly he published a 
solemn proclamation declaring that this battle would de- 
termine trie true God of worship. Constantine assembled his 
troops beneath the standard of the cross, and with the words 
"God the Savior," for his battle cry, be threw himself upon 
the enemy near Adrianople and defeated him: with great loss. 
His victory over Licinius was complete, and he was now the 
sole ruler of the empire. 

The East received his Christian influence, and what he 
had accomplished in the West 'he now brought forth with re- 
newed splendor in the East. Ruined and! wasted churches 
soon rose in greater beauty and splendor. At Rome, Nico- 



The Conversion of Constantine. 71 

media, Antioch, Tyre, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem he built 
new churches and endowed them with rich gifts of money 
and landed wealth. But : his greatest care was in his new 
capital of Byzantium, or, as it was now called, Constantinople, 
in 'honor of his name. In the most splendid apartment of the 
imperial palace he placed a golden cross adorned with pre- 
cious stones. 

He converted the heathen temples into Christian churches, 
and built new ones of astonishing size and beauty. In every 
way 'he sought to make manifest his love and veneration for 
the Christian religion. He provided for the splendor of all 
pertaining to the divine offices, and caused numerous copies 
of the sacred books to be made. 

That the priests might be able to devote themselves 
without interruption to the duties of their office he secured 
to them ample revenues and freed them from civil burdens. 
Many churches received rich endowments, and every citizen 
was free, if he chose, to bequeath his property to the Church 
by will. He surrounded himself with learned bishops that 
he might receive instruction and conduct his authority in a 
true Christian spirit. He regarded the Pope as the head of 
the Church and continually expressed his devotion to the 
Holy Catholic Church. 

By these examples of Constantine thousands of heathens 
were converted to Christianity. The false gods were aban- 
doned and their temples deserted. It was not a reign of per- 
secution, but a reign of noble deeds, of charity, and filial 
devotion to the teachings of Christ. By these demonstrations 
of love and the spreading of comforts and blessings, he con- 



72 Christian Persecutions. 

quered heathenism, and in a short time the Christian religion 
was permanently established in the Roman empire. 

JULIAN, THE APOSTATE. 

Roman idolatry was not destined to die without one last 
desperate struggle. Hardly twenty-five years had passed after 
the death of Constantine, when we find the dying embers of 
Paganism revived by the official authority of Julian, the 
Apostate. This emperor was a nephew of Constantine, and 
was reared a Christian, but in his youth he was secretly taught 
in classic literature the pagan worship. He secretly read the 
writings of Celsus, Lucian, Pythagoras, and many other 
pagan writers. His love for paganism increased, and while 
ha carefully disguised his true sentiments, and even assumed 
the bearing of a zealous Christian, yet he secretly dreamed 
of re-establishing the worship of the mythical gods. 

Julian, on assuming the office of emperor, threw off his 
mask of Christian falsehood and openly espoused the pagan 
cause. The empire was alarmed at this revelation of a new 
pagan force. It had come to them like a thunderbolt from 
a clear sky. Julian had been Christian in all the demonstra- 
tions of life, and now to denounce its teachings, to deny 
Christ, to deny the divinity of God, caused consternation 
among the populace. He was about to strike the Christian 
world with the cherished dream of his youth. 

It was no longer necessary to cover his wicked purposes. 
He would exclude the Christians, which he now called Gali- 
leans, from office of public trust. He would compel them 
to rebuild the pagan temples that had been destroyed, and 



Julian, the Apostate. 73 

again honor pagan priests. The idols of worship were re- 
stored and Christians compelled to salute them in the pagan 
form of worship, and to bow down to them. He also sought 
to sow the seeds of discord among the followers of Christ, by- 
bringing up ancient controversies and seeking to expose the 
clergy to the mistrust of the people. 

He deprived the clergy of revenues granted by previous 
emperors. He composed a book on what he called the scien- 
tific exposition of Christian faith, ridiculing Christ after the 
manner of Lucian and Celsus, and finally he commanded the 
Jews to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem in order to nullify 
the prophesy of Christ. In this last order he signally failed. 
Twice the work on the temple was suspended by divine inter- 
position and the work had to be abandoned. Julian was ex- 
ceedingly moved by an unknown fear in his second attempt 
to rebuild the temple, and without further demonstration 
abandoned the project. 

If we follow this apostate we find him seeking every 
means to elevate the cause of paganism. He described the 
Christian religion as a combination of human inventions, the 
authors being the worst elements of Judaism and Heathenism. 
He denied the Divinity of Christ and ridiculed baptism and 
penance. He assailed the power of the Holy Ghost and the 
union of the most Holy Trinity. He attacked the Old Testa- 
ment as invented history, without divine authority, and in his 
desperation to advance paganism he declared that the whole 
glory of the Roman empire was the result of the worship of 
the gods, and whatever misfortune -had befallen them was 
the result of neglect by the introduction of Christianity. 

(6) 



74 Christian Persecutions. 

He appealed to the pagans to become more zealous, more 
earnest in their supplications, more devout in their lives, and 
to rally to the rescue of Rome. The people were exhorted 
against the dangers of Christianity, and its followers were 
represented as ignorant, incapable of study, intolerant, her- 
etical, fanatical, when compared with pagan philosophers, 
authors, historians and the extensive knowledge of the many. 
If Christ had been more than a good, just, upright man, would 
not our learned men have known it? If he had come to 
instruct men would he not have commenced at the highest? 
If he had been the real Christ, would his own people, the 
Jews, have crucified him? Away with such chaff. The people 
have been misled, imposed upon, and deceived through the 
power of mind over mind, jugglery over appearances, and 
witchcraft over the power for good. 

In order to cement his statements of ignorance and vile 
denunciations against Christ, he extended greater privileges 
to pagan priests; gave them greater solemnity in the cere- 
monial of worship; prepared more magnificent raiment; in- 
stituted song service; a similarity of Christian preaching; or- 
ganized a system of rules of order for the conduct of priests 
in the homes of the people; adopted a discipline of penance 
and excommunication. He also conceived the idea of work- 
ing upon the feelings of the people <by building benevolent 
institutions; asylums for the old and young; institutions of 
learning, and institutions for the afflicted. In his institutions 
of learning he placed pagan philosophy and pagan literature, 
and by every means sought to make proselyltes to paganism. 
But be it said to the great credit of Christianity, that while it 



Julian, the Apostate. 75 

did not materially injure the Church, yet it did not materially 
advance paganism. 

Julian, seeing his ill-success agiainsit the Christians, was 
excited with great wrath, which carried him to the stage 
of madness. He planned new modes of persecution, and a 
most disastrous result would have occurred over his bitter- 
ness and disappointment, but for his death, which took place 
in 363, less than two years after ascending the throne. Thus 
died one of the most dangerous men to the cause of Chris- 
tianity. To obtain his position he covered his shameless head 
with the cloak of devout Christianity, and practiced the faith, 
only to become an apostate of deadly hate and most cruel 
persecution. When dying he exclaimed: "O Galilean, thou 
hast conquered"! This persecution is recorded as: "It was 
but a little cloud that passed away." 

After the death of Julian paganism rapidly declined. 
Sophists sought to stay the tide of degeneration, but to no 
avail. The power of paganism was broken, the glory of God 
was made manifest, and the Church firmly established, as 
was decreed by Christ and his apostles. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE CRUSADES. 

"1 \ 7HILE a short description of these important periods in 
» » the world's history may not be closely identified with 
the object of this publication, yet there is so much of Christian 
ardor, and Christian love and veneration for the Holy City, 
anid the land where Jesus dwelt, that to record the events of 
Christian persecution during the early centuries, and not pre- 
pare a chapter on these remarkable Crusades, would drop a 
link in the wonderful chain of evidence that the Spirit of Christ 
has ever followed and sustained 1 his people in their afflictions. 
We often hear public speakers, or writers, mention the 
Crusades, but few of us realize their meaning. We do not com- 
prehend the extent to which great military expeditions were 
undertaken by the Christian nations of Europe, who organized 
vast armies for the purpose of rescuing from the hands of the 
Mohammedans the holy places of Palestine. To some these 
expeditions may appear as the result of fanaticism rather 
than the furthering of a noble and glorious purpose. But 
discuss it as we may, the fact remains that the Christians 
were in earnest; they exhibited the sarnie desire to serve God, 
to protect the sacred lands of our Savior, as did the followers 
of Christ who remained true to His teachings under the perse- 
cutions of Nero, or Diocletian. If it was fanaticism to protect 
the grave of Jesus, then it is fanaticism to remember Him, by 
the countless means of adoration. 

76 



The Crusades. 77 

So great was their devotion to the Savior of the world, 
that even the thought that the land of His birth and cruci- 
fixion was in the hands of infidels was distressing to them. 
The greater their love for Jesus, the greater their veneration 
for the Holy City. Bethlehem, Judea, Jerusalem, and Cal- 
vary, were sacred to the memory of Christ and must be pre- 
served from the hands of those who> could not appreciate the 
holy memories, or who, from wanton cruelty, would desecrate 
and destroy every object of veneration. 

The Crusades are usually divided into four different im- 
portant periods, although others were instituted, but not with 
the same heroic purpose and the same sacrifice of life. These 
"Minor Crusades, '' while they were organized with the same 
enthusiasm, yet the results were unimportant, and unless we 
itemize history, they are not usually enumerated. 

To thoroughly understand the objects of those military 
achievements we must go back to< the year 638, when the 
Arabian Moslems had seized Jerusalem and the Holy Land, 
and although it was in the hands of the infidels, yet the 
Christians were given all their rights of worship, and even the 
sacred places of veneration were protected from the hand of 
destruction, not because of their love for Christ, but for love 
of revenue, each pilgrim Christian being taxed in some man- 
ner for the privilege of visiting and worshiping at these holy 
shrines. No pilgrim was allowed to enter the most sacred 
places without he paid the tribute of a piece of gold. 

, For over four hundred years the land of our Savior was 
held as a ransom for the Christian world. The Moslems were 
awake to the necessity of carefully protecting every renowned 



78 Chkistian Persecutions. 

spot or place, every scene or relic, for by these holy 
remembrances they gathered the tributes which were imposed 
upon Christians, and which were joyfully paid, so eager were 
they to see and be where Christ had been. As these great 
interests were cared for by apparently loving hands, the pil- 
grims .were satisfied, not caring who controlled the govern- 
ment, as long as all the liberties of worship were accorded 
them. But when the land fell into the hands of the Turks, 
then followed a line of persecution, misery, sacrilege, and 
destruction. 

The Turks disregarded the revenue clause of their prede- 
cessors, and in brutal insolence trampled upon every Chris- 
tian right. To them there were no Christian rights. Jerusa- 
lem was the property of the Turks, and every sacred spot, and 
even the Mount of Calvary, and the grave of Jesus, was theirs. 
By the right of force they could defile these sacred places and 
trample upon Christian worship with all the coarse indiffer- 
ence of a savage nation. They never knew Christ, and in 
their ignorance could mot reverence his name, nor could they 
tolerate any religion that opposed theirs. 

Christians were regarded as slaves, and the pilgrims were 
insulted, persecuted, robbed, and even denied admission to 
the Hbly City. Thousands being thus refused, died within 
sight of the great objects of their pilgrimage. Although denied 
the blessed privilege of walking where once our Savior trod, 
or worshiping at the shrine for which the heart had so long 
yearned, yet they sang songs of praise for being permitted to 
see, even if they could not kneel, at the tomb of Jesus. With 
these songs as the last utterance of a sacrificed life they lay 
down and died. 



The Crusades. 79 

The conditions, now, of the Christians, were most pitiable 
indeed. Not only were they denied the privilege of pilgrim- 
age, but they were dragged to tortures most terrible, and 
forced to deny their faith. But be it said to their great glory, 
few yielded to the cruelty of their oppressors. Here, again, we 
find the same determined faith that has ever characterized the 
Christian i'ni the field of persecution. So devoted were they to 
their religion that "to die was gain," and now to surrender 
their faith for exemption from bodily pain was impossible, 
and as such, could not be considered. 

The churches of Jerusalem were either destroyed, or, to 
grieve the spirits of the devout Christians, they were turned 
into stables. Even the magnificent church of the Resurrection 
was destroyed and all the objects of veneration cast into the 
fire. Once when the Christians were at divine service, a mob 
of unbelievers rushed into the sanctuary, spramg upon the 
altar, flung down the chalice, and catching the patri- 
arch by the hair and beard dragged him to the ground and 
in other ways persecuted him and his followers. 

It was this condition which existed when Peter the Hermit 
made his pilgrimage in 1093 to the Holy Sepulcher. The 
sacrilege of the infidels, the desolation of the holy places, the 
piteous distress of the Christians, filled bis heart with com- 
passion and his eyes with tears. His sorrow over these 
scenes of idolatrous desecration awoke in him' a deep desire 
to rescue these places of Christian veneration from the hands 
of the Turks. Christ's people were being ground beneath the 
yoke of oppression, and they must be free. Accordingly he 
determined to devote himself to the great task of redemption, 



80 Christian Persecutions. 

and after fervently praying for the preservation of his people 
and the tomb of his Redeemer, he hastened homewards, 
Where, on his arrival, he communicated to Pope Urban II the 
wretched and deplorable situation of the Christians, and ex- 
plained to him the condition of the holy relics. He earnestly 
pleaded for assistance in the great undertaking which he had 
planned. 

The Pope received Peter with favor, and heard with deep 
sympathy the persecutions of his followers in Jerusalem, and 
with deepest love for Christian humanity he authorized Peter 
to make known everywhere the oppression that existed, and 
the necessity of a strong invasion by Western Christians to 
drive the enemies of Christ from these sacred lands and to 
restore the worship of God where, of all places, it should 
remain pure and undefiled. The Pope also declared that he 
would call together the influential and pious princes, bishops, 
and laymen of the West and urge them to organize a mighty 
army to give battle to this powerful foe that was now destroy- 
ing Christianity and threatening with destruction, the entire 
sacred institutions of the Holy Land. 

Peter, filled with patriotic and pious longings, zealously 
described to the people of France and Italy the impending 
fate of Jerusalem. He was stopped neither by fatigue nor 
difficulties, but hurried from city to city, from hamlet to ham- 
let, addressing the multitudes in the churches, the streets, or 
in the open fields, describing the conditions of their brethren, 
and the unholy hordes that were now devastating the land of 
Jesus. The Crowds were fired with sympathy, or indignation, 
as he recited the sufferings at the hands of the infidels, or 



The Crusades. 81 

pictured the profanation of the holy places by the presence 
and insults of those Turkish barbarians. Not since the days 
of Christ and his Apostles were the people so^ enthused as 
they were now over the words of Peter. With one accord they 
arose to offer their fortunes and their lives. It was one grand 
demonstration of filial devotion to the cause of Christianity. 

In November, 1095, Pbpe Urban summoned a great coun- 
cil at Clearmont, in France, where there gathered together 
fourteen archbishops, three hundred bishops, four hundred 
abbots, and thousands of knights, princes, and laymen. 
Amidst profound silence Peter pictured, in glowing words, 
to the listening crowd the misery and sufferings of the Eastern 
Christians, and the profanation of the grave of Jesus. He 
declared that no man could describe the awful persecution 
which was at that moment being waged against their Chris- 
tian brethren. No eye remained dry; all present wept and 
sighed. The fervent appeal of Peter had stirred the soul's 
longing, to not only liberate their brethren but to rescue the 
Holy Land from the hand of the desecrator. 

The Holy Father, being deeply moved, then addressed his 
hearers: "Beloved brethren, the Land of Promise, the cradle 
of the Savior, the land in which was consummated the work of 
our salvation, is in the power of an impious people, dogs have 
entered the sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies is defiled. The 
faithful lie slain in the churches, and neither age nor sex is 
spared. The blood of the saints is poured out like water, and 
there are none there to bury their bodies. Who can hear this 
with dry eyes? Better for us that we had never been born 
than that we should see the ruin of our people and of the 



82 Christian Persecutions. 

Holy City, and yet sit still and let the enemy work his pleas- 
ure. Arm yourselves with the zeal of God, beloved brothers; 
gird on your swords, and show yourselves sons of the Mighty 
One. Better it is to die in battle than to* see the sufferings 
of our people and of the saints. Go forth, and God will be 
with you. Turn those weapons with which you now so wick- 
edly make war on one another and spill the blood of your 
brethren, against the enemy of the Christian faith and name. 
God wills it! Trusting in His mercy, and in the power of the 
holy Apostles Peter and Paul, we remit to all the faithful who 
shall assume arms in a spirit of true piety, and who take on 
them the labors of this pilgrimage, all the penances laid upon 
them for their sins; and whoever shall die on this journey will, 
if truly penitent, receive without doubt remission of all their 
sins, and enter into life everlasting. None shall venture to 
molest the goods or the families of the absent pilgrims; we 
place them and theirs under the protection of the Holy 
Church." 

So great was the earnest enthusiasm for the relief of dis- 
tressed Christians and the restoration of the land of Jesus 
from the hands of infidels that the entire multitude cried: 
"God wills it! God wills it!" "Be these words," the Pope 
replied, "your battle-cry in every danger; be the Cross your 
sign of strength and of humility, and the gracious Mother of 
God your patroness." 

With wild scenes of joy at the prospect of an universal 
uprising against the Turkish enemy the council dispersed, 
each eager to spread the news and urge their friends to join 
the great army of Crusaders. The inspiration that had seized 



The Crusades. 83 

the members of this council spread with lightning rapidity, 
and soon the whole country was aflame to that cry of freedom. 
Their brethren in Jerusalem were being cruelly persecuted 
and the sacred land of our Lord was made desolate by the 
hands of a barbarous horde. Down with the tyrants! Down 
with usurpers of Christian rights! was rung from one end of the 
country to the other. France and Italy had never before 
beheld such loyalty to the cause of Christian humanity. Towns 
and villages became the camping grounds of a mighty army. 
Everywhere men were arming themselves, fired with the zeal 
of vengeance. Counts left their castles, princes their pos- 
sessions, the peasant his plow, and the monk his cell. Even 
women and children became embued with the inspiration of 
action and clamored for the right to assist in this great un- 
dertaking. 

Murderers and robbers came forth from their hiding- 
places, and in atonement for their sins, offered to join the holy 
war. The same universal spirit seemed to pervade the entire 
people. Strife, feud, and oppression everywhere ceased, national 
difficulties were wiped away, and all longed for the hour when 
they should start. So great was the desire of the people to 
avenge the wrongs at Jerusalem that many besieged Peter to 
lead them at once against the enemy, and before the regular 
organized Crusade began its march 80,000 enthusiastic and 
impatient Christians started by an overland route through 
Germany and Hungary to Constantinople. Thousands fell in 
battle with the natives of the countries through which they 
passed, and thousands more perished miserably with hunger 
and exposure. Those who crossed the Bosporus were at- 



84 Christian Persecutions. 

tacked by the Turks, who were informed of their coming, and 
were mercilessly slaughtered. 

Thus perished the vanguard of this wonderful demon- 
stration for the liberation of the Holy Land. Few of this first 
great army of Christians lived to relate the suffering, the 
pious longing to serve the followers of Christ, or to see, or 
feel, the first elements of success. Theirs was the beginning, 
and in this consolation they laid down their lives, knowing 
that their misfortunes would pave the way for the success of 
those who were to follow. 

Meanwhile the great armies of the West were being trained 
and disciplined, and none but those who> were earnest cham- 
pions of the holy cause were accepted. No curser, blas- 
phemer, nor even a mischief-making person was taken. God- 
frey of Bouillon, Duke of Lorraine, and Tancred, "the mirror 
of knighthood," were among the most noted leaders of the 
different divisions of the army. The camp of Godfrey was a 
model of perfection. Strict religious exercises were observed, 
and no man was requested to' remain wno> did not feel that 
he was called by Heaven to answer the prayers of Jerusalem. 
Mornimg and evening all joined in prayer to God, and psalms 
and hymms in praise to Christ, His Blessed Mother, the 
Saints, and all the heavenly throng. Besides these devotional 
duties they would unite in the wild spirit of chivalry, and the 
camps would resound from one end to the other with patriotic 
and warlike songs. No: army was ever established with such 
true devotion, such heartfelt sympathy, and such fervent zeal. 
Each sought to outvie the other in marks of obedience and 
discipline, and the whole was a grand consummation of pious 
love and reverence. 



The Crusades. 85 

The expedition numbered about 700,000 men, of whom 
fully 100,000 were mailed knights. They traversed Europe 
by different routes and re-assembled at Constantinople-. After 
crossing 1 the Bosporus, the first brilliant achievement of the 
Christians was a great victory before the walls of Nicsea, the 
Turkish capital, in Bithynia. The Mahometan hosts fought 
with desperation. The assaults of the Christians were as a 
mighty hurricane as they threw themselves against the walls 
and defenses. On to Jerusalem! was the battle-cry, and again 
and again did they attack the fortifications until the walls 
yielded and the enemy were driven from the city. 

Having captured this stronghold of Mahomet they set out 
across Asia Minor for Syria. Fearful sufferings followed 
their pathway through that immense uninhabitable waste. The 
line of their dreary march between Nicaea and Antioch was 
whitened with the bones of nearly one-half of their numbers. 
But so great was their faith in God that no complaints escaped 
their lips and no disloyalty was made manifest. From the 
beginning they had consecrated their lives, and in this conse- 
cration they would live or die. 

At Antioch the Crusaders saw a fortress so strong that 
but for their confidence in God they could never have suc- 
ceeded in its capture. But to them there was no defeat. "God 
wills it! God wills it!" ever sounded in their ears, and in the 
inspiration of an assured victory they rush'ed to the assault. 
When we understand that the city was encircled with an im- 
mense wall more than fourteen feet in thickness and 1 was com- 
manded with four hundred and fifty high towers, and defended 
with a powerful army, we can imagine something of the super- 



86 Christian Persecutions. 

• 

human strength, courage and valor it required to capture it. 
Yet to this Christian army there could be no defeat. With 
the thought of soon seeing the blessed land of Jesus they 
mounted those powerful walls, threw down their enemies, and 
in triumph entered the city. 

We now come to the approach of the long-desired city of 
Jerusalem. It was June, 1099, when the Crusaders neared the 
goal of their ambitions. All night long they pushed forward 
without rest, so eager were they to see the Holy City by the 
light of the rising sun. The weary were assisted by those who 
were strong, and all vied with each' other in the manifestations 
of courage and endurance. When at last the City of Jerusalem 
burst upon their view, a perfect delirium of joy seized them. 
The horsemen dismounted, and fell upon their knees and 
kissed the earth, shedding tears of joy. They embraced one 
another, and cried like children. The pent-up enthusiasm now 
found vent in these unbounded manifestations of gladness. 
Had heaven descended with all its glorious brightness, the 
vision could not have been more inspiring than this vision of 
the Holy City. They had comquered the wilderness, the 
armies of oppression, and now, in the faith of God, they would 
soon expel the defiling hordes of infidelity. 

As they passed on they took off their shoes, and marched 
with uncovered heads and bare feet, singing the words of the 
prophet: "Jerusalem, lift up thine eyes, and behold the libera- 
tor, who comes to break thy chains." The magnificent army of 
700,000 men was now reduced to a mere pittance of its orig- 
inal numbers. They could scarcely number 20,000 foot and 
1,500 horse, and before them was the strongly fortified city of 



The Crusades. 87 

Jerusalem with an army of 40,000 well-armed men. The Cru- 
saders were almost worn out with fatigue and exposure, and 
yet, with this unequal contest before them, they would not 
even hesitate, nor seek to regain their strength, but with the 
impetuous longing to< rescue their brethren and to know and 
feel that the land of their Savior was once more free, they 
rushed into the mad conflict. They believed that God had 
guided them through these long difficulties, and that now, as 
they approached the City of God, He would not desert them. 
With this faith and confidence, the champions of the Cross 
could not be discouraged, nor could they be defeated. 

On the sixth day after their arrival they attacked the outer 
defenses with such courage and valor that the enemy became 
alarmed and retired within the inner walls, whic'h had the 
appearance of being impregnable. Where, in all that treeless 
waste, could they firici material from which they could con- 
struct battering-rams? Without these necessary implements 
of warfare, how could they ever break into the city of Jerusa- 
lem? They had captured the outer defenses, but the strength 
of a wondrous construction faced them, and meant apparent 
defeat. Parties were dispatched to- scour the country and 
find, if possible, some substance which could be used with 
sufficient force to break the gates that separated them from 
the city. 

Was it God's providence that led them to a valley near 
Bethlehem, where huge trunks of trees lay buried beneath the 
earth? Great was the rejoicing when the glad tidings were 
brought of this rich discovery. All vied with each other in 
the work of excavation and in the construction of huge bat- 
tering-rams and other engines of attack. 



88 Christian Persecutions. 

The Christian camp, in the meanwhile, was suffering much 
from the great scarcity of water. The sun's heat was almost 
unbearable, and the infidels had destroyed all the springs and 
other means of obtaining water. The animals were dying of 
thirst, and noxious vapors poisoned the air. The only water 
supply was six miles distant, and each time these valiant fol- 
lowers of Christ sought to renew their supply they must fight 
their way through the enemies outlying bands. To tEese 
sufferings we must add that of starvation, for nowhere could 
there be new supplies outside the gates of Jerusalem. 

During this distressing period the joyful news reached 
them that a Genoese fleet had just landed at Joppa, bringing 
provisions, tools, and skilled workmen. Again did these 
valiant Crusaders see the hand of Providence. Without this 
needed assistance fhey must have perished outside the gates 
of Jerusalem. Now they could be relieved of their pressing 
necessities, and with the skill of their new friends, they could 
proceed to a systematic mode of attack. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE CRUSADES— Continued. 

/~\ N the morning of July 8 the whole host left the camp, 
^-^ and, preceded by priests in white vestments, bearing 
crosses, banner, and relics, they marched barefooted to the 
Holy City, invoking with prayers and psalms the help of 
God and the saints. Mass was said within sight of Calvary, 
and on the Mount of Olives the Flemish priest, Arnulf, and 
Peter of Amiens, so powerfully addressed the army that all, 
leaders and followers alike, grasped each others' hands, and 
swore to stand by one another* truly till death. 

After a few feints, the real siege began on the 14th of 
July. In all the camp there was not one who was not inspired 
with martial ardor; the sick, old men and boys, even the very 
women, took up arms. With bold hearts they drew their 
besieging engines to the walls. Showers of arrows were 
poured on them by the enemy, and huge stones, beams, 
torches, and burning pitch flung down upon them. But the 
Crusaders stood firm, till night put an end to the struggle. 
Day had scarcely begun to dawn when each was again at his 
post. The battle raged as fiercely as before, and with un- 
flagging energy. But the storm lasted many hours, and the 
victory was not yet gained. The strength of the Christians 
flagged, when suddenly, just at the hour our Lord died upon 
the cross, a knight with a shining shield appeared upon the 
side of the Mount of Olives, and signed to themi to continue 

(7) 89 



90 Christian Persecutions. 

the struggle. 'Do you see the heavenly sign'? Godfrey 
exclaimed with joy. The Christians again took courage, 
shouting loudly, 'God helps us! God wills it!' They pushed 
forward with renewed vigor, broke through the outer wall, 
and flung the drawbridges from Godfrey's tower across to 
the inner wall. Led by Godfrey, they rushed bold as lions on 
the unbelievers, drove them from the walls and towers, and 
opened the gates. In poured the whole Christian host, and a 
desperate battle ensued within) the city.'' 

A terrible slaughter of the infidels now took place. For 
seven days the carnage went on. Blood flowed in streams, 
and the unbelievers lay slain by thousands in the houses, 
streets, and public places. So great was this vengeance that 
scarcely any of the Moslem faith were left alive. The Chris- 
tians "had accomplished the great work of their mission. 
Jerusalem had surrendered, and the Holy Land was once 
more in the hands of those who loved God. 

After the city had been duly secured and sentinels placed 
in all the towers, the blood-stained victors laid aside their 
arms, changed their garments, and then barefooted, many of 
them on their knees, went humbly and with tears of thanks- 
giving, to visit those sacred spots which our Lord had hal- 
lowed by His presence. "It was a most fair sight,'' writes 
William, Archbishop of Tyre, "to see with what fervent devo- 
tion the people trod the holy places, and with what spiritual 
joy and exultation they kissed the spots where our Lord had 
suffered. All wept and sighed, not from sorrow and anguish, 
but from the ardor of piety and the abundance of interior joy. 
Some confessed their sins to God, vowing never to return to 



The Ckusades. 91 

them; others gave all they had to the poor, because they 
counted that God ha'd given them the highest riches in allow- 
ing them to see that day.'' 

Great was the rejoicing of the delivered Christians. Their 
gratitude knew no bounds. They had endured the persecution 
of the infidels, and now they were free. They kissed their 
deliverers and offered them all their possessions. In their 
frenzied joy they prayed to God with all the fervency of a 
devout spirit. Feasts were instituted in perpetual memory of 
the wonderful deliverances which had been secured. The 
bishops and priests offered the holy sacrifice in the churches, 
prayed for the people, and returned thanks for the miracles 
which had been shown unto them. 

In the establishment of government all with one voice 
voted in favor of Godfrey, the most valiant and devoted of the 
Crusader knights. The prince refused the title and vestments 
of royalty, declaring that he would never wear a crown of 
gold in the city where his Lord and Master, the king of kings, 
had worn a crown of thorns, and the only title he would accept 
was that of "Guardian of the Holy Sepulcher." 

Hardly had Godfrey converted chaos into order, when he 
ascertained that the Sultan of Egypt was fast approaching 
with an army of 300,000 men to save the sinking power of 
Islam from destruction. Against this mighty host Godfrey 
had scarcely 20,000 to oppose them. This unequal contest 
must decide the fate of Jerusalem. Godfrey called his fol- 
lowers together and eloquently pictured their desperate con- 
dition, and the sad fate of defeat. They had overcome every 
obstacle in their march of progress; they had delivered their 



92 Christian Persecutions. 

brethren from the hands of infidels, and had rescued the tomb 
of their Savior from the hand of destruction. God had given 
them strength to subdue their enemies, and now, in the final 
struggle, the same God would watch over them and give 
victory to their arms. His eloquence moved his followers to 
the same eagernesis to fight that always animated them. Thrice 
welcomed was this new opportunity to prove their loyalty 
and devotion. They had seen the fall of the Moslem power 
in Jerusalem, and they had worshiped at the grave of Jesus, 
and now in the fullness of a glorious thanksgiving they 
eagerly besought Godfrey to lead them to battle. 

Trusting in God's protection Godfrey faced his army 
towards the advancing foe, and with the Cross borne before 
them as an emblem of faith in Divine assistance they went to 
meet the enemy. Near Ascalon they encountered the camp 
of this great Egyptian army. Immediately all fell upon their 
knees and earnestly besought 'help from above. The mag- 
nificent army of the Sultan was before them. They had come 
to avenge the death of the followers of Islam, to- annihilate 
Christianity, and to capture Jerusalem. Others than these 
Crusaders, who* were filled with the conscious power of God, 
would have feared in this unequal baittle, but to- Godfrey and 
his heroic band there could be only victory, even if the whole 
Islam force of idolatrous worshipers were before them. These 
Christians knew no fear, and, inspired from on high for the 
conflict, they would break all opposition, destroy the power 
of armies, and drive into exile those who denied Christ and 
would defile his Holy Land. 

The battle was fought. Godfrey and his troops were vie- 



The Crusades. 93 

torious. They defeated the Moslems with great slaughter, 
and seized their camp. Thus defeated, the Sultan retreated to 
his own lands, leaving the Christians with a glorious victory 
and complete dominion! in Palestine. Thus ended the first 
great Crusade against the infidels of the East for the restora- 
tion of the land of Jerusalem. 

THE SECOND CRUSADE. 

The Second Crusade occurred during the years 1147 to 
1149. In the year 1146, the city of Edessa, the greatest defense 
to Jerusalem on the side towards Mesopotamia, was taken by 
the Turks, and the entire population was murdered or sold 
into slavery. It is estimated that the Mussulmans slew 
30,000 of the inhabitants and carried 16,000 into slavery. 
This disaster threw the entire West into a state of greatest 
alarm, lest the little Christian state, which was established at 
such cost of tears and suffering, should again be overwhelmed 
with infidelity, and all the holy places become a desolation. 

Pope Eugenius III commissioned St. Bernard, an eloquent 
monk, to preach a new Crusade in France and Germany. The 
scenes that marked the opening of the First Crusade were 
now repeated in all the countries of the West. St. Bernard 
was the second Peter the Hermit, and wherever he went 
great multitudes gathered to listen to his burning appeals. He 
went everywhere exhorting the Christians to arise in defense 
of the birthplace of their religion. Edessa had been captured 
and its people slain, and now in the flush of victory they 
would malrch upon Jerusalem, and naugnt could stay the 
desecration that would soon follow. 



94 Christian Persecutions. 

St. Bernard was spreading the holy enthusiasm, and the 
contagion seized not only barons, knights, and the common 
people, which classes composed the armies of the First Cru- 
sade, but kings and emperors were now infected with the 
sacred frenzy. Jerusalem was in danger and the fever of 
excitement was wild to defeat the Turkish enemy. Louis VII 
of France, and Conrad III, emperor of Germany, were fore- 
most in the establishment of powerful armies. Louis was led 
to this undertaking as a penance — remorse of conscience) — 
for having perpetrated an act of great cruelty upon his revolting 
subjects, which act was the burning of thirteen hundred peo- 
ple in a church, whither they had fled for refuge. To atone 
for this sin he would personally lead an army to the relief of 
Jerusalem, and if in this act oT Christian piety he should lose 
his life, or suffer the distress of privations, then, ins a measure, 
he might free his conscience from its deep remorse. 

The success of this magnificent army of Crusaders was 
turned to a disastrous defeat when they crossed to Asia Minor, 
and be it said to the eternal shame of the Greeks, their em- 
peror, Manuel, through the jealousy of the Western successes, 
and enthusiasm, caused the Crusading army to be misled 
through waste and trackless regions, where, through hunger 
and exposure, and the swords of the Turks, a great part 
perished, so that it was with a small remnant of their followers 
that the princes reached the end of their journey. 

Thus was rendered futile, through treacherous jealousy, 
the Second Crusade against the barbarous hordes, who were 
becoming stronger and stronger, and were even threatening 
Constantinople. In/ later years, as though it were a judgment 



The Crusades. 95 

sent against the Greek emperors, Constantinople was captured 
by the infidels. Had the Second Crusade met with its antici- 
pated success, by the defeat of these gathering hordes of Mos- 
lems, the future history of the Christian Greeks might have 
been different and their beloved city would not have fallen 
into tile hainlds of their enemies. But judgment or no judg- 
ment, the great struggle of 1453, when the Turks succeeded 
in obtaining the mastery over a large portion of the Eastern 
Empire, was due to their own local quarrels and the blind 
jealousy of their Western neighbors. 

THE THIRD CRUSADE. 

The Third Crusade occurred in 1189 to 1192, and was in- 
stituted because of the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin, the 
Sultan of Egypt. It was now scarcely ninety- years since these 
holy lands had been rescued from the hands of the infidels, 
but from a lack of union between the Eastern and Western 
divisions of Christianity, the Moslems had gathered courage 
and strength and were now the masters of the Holy City. On 
the bloody field of Hittin they destroyed the Christian army, 
imprisoned the King of Jerusalem and forced his capital to 
surrender. Thus did the Holy City, for which hundreds of 
thousands of Christians had joyfully surrendered the pleasures 
of earth, and through the terrible march of destitution, of holy 
sacrifice, had given their lives and shed their blood, mow again 
fall into the hands of the infidels. The holy places were being 
desecrated, and the Cross, the Christian's sign of faith and 
endurance, was scorned, insulted, and trampled under foot. 



96 Christian Persecutions. 

This condition of things was most heart-rending to the 
devout Christians of the West, and although there was no 
Peter or St. Bernard to stir the multitudes with the pictured 
scenes of persecution and desolation, yet they were ever 
ready to respond to the call of loyalty to the holy land of Jesus. 

Three great sovereigns united in this third defense, or 
rather protection, of the lands of Palestine. Frederick Bar- 
barossa of Germany, Philip Augustus of France, and Richard 
I of England, assumed the Cross, and each at the head of a 
large army, set out for the recovery of the Holy City and the 
land of Christian veneration. 

The English king, Richard, afterwards given the title of 
the " Lion-hearted/' in memory of his noble and heroic ex- 
ploits in Palestine, became the central figure among the 
Christian knights of this Crusade. Besides his deeds of valor, 
and his ardent desire to redeem the land of Christ from its 
enemies, he was equally zealous in his determination at home 
to raise money to defray the necessary expenses of his cam- 
paign. He imposed enormous taxes on all classes, sold 
offices, positions, and royal lands, and when questioned re- 
garding his means of raising money, replied, "I would sell the 
city of London, if I could find a purchaser" ! 

The German army, under Frederick, while crossing to 
Asia Minor, met with an awful defeat. The hardships had 
decimated their ranks, and, unable to withstand the fierce 
assaults of the Turks, the Christians were completely routed. 
The emperor was drowned while crossing a swollen stream, 
and the survivors of the army, disheartened by the loss of 
their leader, returned to Germany. 



The Crusades. 97 

The English and French sovereigns were more success- 
ful than the emperor of Germany. They first met the enemy 
beneath the walls of Acre, where the most desperate and long- 
est siege ever held in Asia, occurred. It is estimated that 
over 600,000 were engaged in the investment of the place, but 
at last the Crusaders forced the place to surrender. During 
this siege the renownied Saladin, the chief of the Moham- 
medans, fought with wonderful heroism to render relief to his 
garrison, but again and again he was repulsed, until, subdued 
by the force of Christian strength, he ceased to attack. 

During Richard's march through Palestine this Turkish 
chief was his most obstinate as well as his most chivalrous 
enemy. Once, when Saladin ascertained that Richard was 
sick with a fever, and knowing that he must be poorly sup- 
plied with delicacies, he sent him a gift of the choicest fruits 
of the land. And again, when Richard's horse had been killed 
in battle, he caused a magnificent Arabian steed to be led to 
the camp of the Christians as a present for his rival. 

For two years Richard and Saladin were in almost daily 
combat for the possession of the tomb of Christ. These two 
generals could neither conquer moi* be conquered, and finally 
Richard concluded a treaty of peace for three years and eight 
months with Saladin. This treaty gave to the Christians, 
during the period of time mentioned, free access to the hbly 
places ; they were also to remain in undisturbed possession of 
the coast from Jaffa to Tyre. Thus closed the last of the Cru- 
sades which were directed wholly to the recovery of Palestine 
from the hands of the infidels. The others which followed 
either did not accomplish the objects sought, or they were 



98 Christian Persecutions. 

diverted from their purpose by different conditions which 
arose, chief among which was the ambition of selfish rulers. 

THE FOURTH CRUSADE (1202-1204). 

This Crusade relates more especially to the trouble exist- 
ing between the Eastern and Western divisions of the Chris- 
tian Church. The Eastern, or Greek division, had become 
overbearing and demonstrative against the Roman Church, 
and in their hostility demanded the right to dictate the powers 
of the Popes, the proper form of worship, and the designation 
of objects of veneration. In this Crusade the Western Chris- 
tians, instead of reaching Jerusalem, captured Constantinople, 
overthrew a usurper who had seized the Byzantine throne, and 
restored Alexius as the rightful claimant. 

Scarcely was Alexius seated on the throne, before another 
revolt broke out, and he met his death. The Crusaders were 
now determined to seize the capital and place a Western 
prince on the throne of Constantine. The struggle was des- 
perate, but finally Constantinople was the second time taken 
by storm, and sacked, and Baldwin, Count of Flanders, was 
crowned Emperor of the East. 

This new control of the Eastern Empire lasted but little 
more than half a century, when the Greeks, in 1261, succeeded 
in regaining the throne, which was held by them until Con- 
stantinople was captured by the Turks in 1453. 

THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE (1212). 

To complete this chapter without giving the children of 
that period their just due would be a gross injustice to them. 



The Crusades. 99 

Strange as it may seem to us, it is nevertheless true that the 
religious fervor became so inspiring that nearly 100,000 chil- 
dren were seized with the belief r that for them was reserved' 
the task to finally restore the Holy Land to the Christian faith. 
The leader of this movement was a French peasant lad named 
Stephen, who became convinced that he was divinely inspired, 
and ins his zeal to follow Christ and fullfil his holy mission he 
went about preaching. The children became wild with excite- 
ment. The eloquent appeals of Stephen again threw the 
country into that wondrous desire to rescue the tomb of 
Jesus from the hands of the infidels. Crowds gathered every- 
where. Children who had known nothing of the hardships of 
life could not be restrained. "Even bolts and bars could not 
hold them.'' It was the grandest outpouring of Christian faith 
that the world has ever seen. While the people of mature 
years were intensely interested, yet to the children must be 
given the credit for this wonderful movement. 

Two different opinions were raised as to the inspiration 
of this Crusade. Some believe that the Holy Spirit had taken 
possession of the children, and in their confidence cited these 
words of Scripture: "A child shall lead them." "Out of the 
mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise." In 
opposition to this belief others were confident that it was the 
work of the Devil. But at least this result was obtained: 
The people were aroused to the rapid encroachment of the 
Turks upon the Eastern countries, and if not resisted he 
would overrun Europe, root out the Christian worship of the 
West, and thus again place Europe in the hands of the infidels. 
Even the Pope exclaimed: "These children reproach us with 



L.ofC. 



100 Christian Persecutions. 

having fallen asleep, whilst they were flying to the assistance 
of the Holy Land." 

We will but briefly follow this heroic army of innocent 
children. At Marseilles there congregated about 30,000 
French, many of whom actually set sail, but being betrayed 
were sold to the Mohammedans at Alexandria, and other 
slave markets, and none ever returned. The 50,000 German 
children crossed the Alps and marched down the shores of 
Italy, looking for transportation through the Mediterranean. 
Some thousands of these little crusaders sailed away into 
oblivion, and no word ever came back from them. After 
severe hardships the remainder of this pious band of Christian 
children returned to their native honies. 

The Minor Crusades are known as the Flifth, Sixth, 
Seventh, and Eighth. The Sixth Crusade was so fortunate 
as to secure from the Saracens ffie restoration of Jerusalem, 
together with several other cities of Palestine, which occurred 
in 1229. The Eighth Crusade was instituted in 1270-1272, 
because of the misfortunes of Palestine, and again was Chris- 
tian blood spilled to rescue these sacred places which were 
early remembrances of Christ. In this Crusade the Christians 
captured Nazareth, and compelled the Sultan of Turkey to 
sign a treaty of peace favorable to them. 

We now close this history of the Holy Crusades which for 
more than two centuries and a half had been an almost con- 
stant battle for the preservation of Jerusalem from the hands 
of the infidels. According to historians the upholding of the 
Christian faith cost Christianity the awful sacrifice of from 
2,000,000 to 6,000,000 human beings. Besides the misery and 



The Ckusades. 101 

untold sufferings, there was a waste of treasure which can 
never be computed. 

But we must not look upon these wars as a waste of 
treasure and useless sacrifice of life. Had religious zeal never 
culminated in united action, had the Christians of Western 
Europe never attacked the Turks in their own country, then 
the advancing hordes of infidelity would have swept Europe 
as an all-consuming fire, destroying intelligence, overthrowing 
society, and crushing the spirit of Christianity. While it was 
a sacrifice almost beyond the conception of mind, yet on the 
counter page we see the beneficent results, we trace the 
stability of Christian worship, the renewed power of the 
Church, the intellectual development of Europe, and the 
instituting of that great outburst of mental activity known as 
the "Revival of Learning." 

For centuries Europe had slumbered in its mental decay, 
but now the mind had been called into action, a wolnidrous 
system of chivalry had been established, and the whole of 
Europe had b~een aroused to deeper thoughts of life and action. 
This broadened intelligence was the great incentive to dis- 
covery and exploration. It caused Marco Polo and Sir John 
Mandeville to explore the most remote countries of Asia, and 
by it Columbus, Vasco de Gama, and Magellan were also in- 
spired to adventure and voyages of discovery. Not only was 
the mind awakened to the study of art and science, to develop 
learning, and to extend Christianity, but it had stimulated 
trade and commerce. The wants of the Crusaders had thrown 
into the laps of Venice, Pisa, and Genoa, the great wealth 
which they had obtained. The Mediterranean was whitened 



102 Christian Persecutions. 

with the sails of their transport ships, which were constantly 
winding their ways between the various ports of Europe and 
the coast of Syria. Inventions were being devised and the 
march of progress and improvement was stamped upon every 
thought and motion of the Western people of this revived 
continent. 

Thus do we trace the present enlightenment of Europe, 
and that of our own country, to these Christian Crusades. It 
seems as though God, in his infinite wisdom, had planned this 
inspiring zeal to rescue the tomb of Jesus from the hands of 
the infidels, and in doing so, had held in check the Moslem 
hordes, had developed the pride, the power, and the ingenuity 
of Christian mankind, and had been the means of this won- 
derful "Revival of Learning/' the advancement of prosperity 
and the grand achievements of success. 

Had there been no Crusades, the world's history would be 
far different from what it now is. By simply reading these 
historic events as they then occurred, we may not observe, we 
may not understand, the wisdom of Providence in these re- 
markable attempts to wrest from the hands of the Infidels 
those holy places, but for all that, these timely attacks of the 
Western Christians held in check the Turkish power, which 
was gradually encroaching upon the dominions of Christianity. 
This power would, by a succession of triumphs, have overrun 
Europe, and where now stands the Cross of Christ, there 
would have appeared the Crescent of Mohammed. 

No prince, emperor, Pope, or Christian could have been 
aroused against the dangers lurking in the wake of this foe, 
so stealthily did he gather his forces on the Eastern frontiers 



The Crusades. 103 

of these Christian nations. The march of Mohammedanism 
was slow but sure, and but for the religious zeal that swept the 
Crusaders into the land of the Infidels, and there battled with 
them in their own defenses, no power of man could have 
checked the future desolation that would have marked the 
path of the Turks, as in their onward march, bent upon con- 
quest, they would have engulfed all Europe. 

Constantinople was at one time the seat of the great 
Roman Empire. It was here that Constantine, the Pagan 
emperor of Rome, was converted to Christianity, and gave to 
the world the booo of a free worship of God. It was from 
here that the gospel of Christ spread with such wonderful 
rapidity, and here also it was that science, art, and learning 
flourished in its grandest perfection. But alas! the followers 
of Constantine, in after years, became overbearing in their 
greatness, and because of their inability to domineer the Pope 
of Rome they severed themselves from the Church. Over- 
confident of their own strength, they dissipated their forces 
on the sands of disunion, and as a result, in 1453, Constan- 
tinople was captured by the Turkish hordes and the great 
Church of St. Sophia became the property of the Moslems, 
and the Cross, which for centuries had surmounted its dome, 
was replaced by the Crescent, which remains to this day. 

Thus we find that the present grandeur of Europe is due, 
in .a large measure, to the unquenchable religious zeal that, 
during the period of the Crusades, held in check the Turkish 
power, which, even then, was a menace to these Western 
countries. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE REFORMATION. 

CROM the Protestant standpoint the Reformation is re- 
A garded as the foundation of religious freedom, the 
overthrow of Catholic supremacy, and the establishment of 
new doctrines of worship. While, in a large measure, this 
may be true, yet from the light of history we conclude these 
things: There being but one religion, there could be no 
demand for freedom until new dogmas were invented and 
new desires created. The world practically knew but two 
ideas of worship, that of Christianity and that of pagan idol- 
atry. Of idolatry, we find the Old Pagan Mythology and the 
followers of Mohammed. As the great countries of India, 
China, and Japan were not in close connection with Europe, 
the people were not acquainted with their modes of worship 
and knew nothing of them. The Turk Mahomet was the 
only factor in Europe which in any way conflicted with the 
Christian) Church. The Reformation instituted new creeds, 
translated the Bible into new understandings, and inaugurated 
conflicts of worship, thereby creating a demand that had not 
existed before. Martin Luther had declared his theology, his 
version of the Scriptures, and his doctrine of worship as the 
only true faith, the only true Gospel of Christ, and the only 
means of salvation. 

Other Reformers were not content to give Luther a 
monopoly of this new innovation, but would enter the field 

104 



The Reformation. 105 

in competition, and from these divisions arose the cry of 
freedom of worship. Catholics prescribed laws against heresy, 
and in many instances executed them. But the Catholics were 
not alone in meting- out punishment. Even John Calvin, the 
next greatest to Luther in the cause of Reformation, had the 
Spanish physician, Michael Servetus, on the 27th of October, 
1553, burned as a heretic. And to justify himself, he wrote a 
treatise explaining Servetus' dangerous doctrine, his blasphemy 
against holy worship, and the awful example of an ungodly 
man. In this treatise, or explanation, Calvin invents many 
excuses for this desperate means of ridding the country of the 
man. It was not because he was immoral in character, but 
spiritually immoral, depraved in the sight of God, dangerous 
to the faithful, a stumbling-block to the wavering, a reproach, 
an infidel, a heretic and by the laws of empire must be burned. 
Other renowned reformers of this age advocated the exe- 
cution of heretics. Even Melanchthon, who took the leader- 
ship after the death of Luther, wrote to John Calvin praising 
him for the execution of Servetus, and endorsed its justice. 
But we are not competent, at this time in the nineteenth cen- 
tury, owing to our education of obedience, to rightfully judge 
the people of the sixteenth century. At that time heresy was 
considered a more grievous crime than high treason itself. 
The people of that era were taught to believe it a crime, while 
we are taught to observe tolerance, to call it a privilege, a uni- 
versal right, a question you cannot question, a foundation of 
liberty, and the inalienable right of man. We accord to every 
man the right to say what he chooses in the defamation of 
Christ, to villify God's Holy Word, to write and talk Atheism, 

(8) 



106 Christian Persecutions. 

to denounce the Church, the Bible as only the invention of 
man, to say, do, act and scoff at worship. All these and 
more, are the boasted rights we accord man, in our freedom of 
speech, thought, deed, and action. The only restraint we have 
placed upon him is that he shall not disturb others while en- 
gaged in devotion. It is not a restraint from the blasphemy 
of God, but from interfering with the individual right which 
each man has of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 
With these privileges we have no right to charge, crime to a 
church, nor to a law that lay's down a penality for the abuse 
of all that is holy, sacred, and pure. In their rigid punishment 
of heresy they may have gone too far, but in our liberalism 
may we not have gone to the other extreme? They called it 
a crime to deny God; we laugh and jest at the blasphemies of 
His Holy Name. They taught reverence, obedience, and 
justification; we teach the right of man to reverence nothing, 
to obey nothing, and to worship nothing. They taught 
restraint; we are bound by none on earth, or heaven, or hell. 
The whole realm of infinity is ours to revile, to curse, to 
•damn. Such is the boasted privilege of our vested rights in 
the great kingdom of freedom. Glorious freedom! Freedom 
of heresy, of license, of power to defy, to> scorn and scoff, 
to persecute and crucify, and to breathe the words of slander, 
jest, and falsehood. Shame to< denounce one extreme and 
allow the opposite. If, in their zeal for the welfare of the 
future existence of man, they were too severe, have we not, 
m return, desecrated the sacred worship of God beyond the 
hope of redemption, of salvation, and of eternal life? May 
not our freedom of desecration bring upon us the damning 



The Reformation. 107 

words when in the day of judgment we are commanded to 
depart from Me, for I know you not? 

In the establishment of the Lutheran worship iini Germany, 
the reformers were constantly working upon the feelings and 
prejudices of the German princes. To be free from the Church 
of Rome was to have greater temporal power, more direct 
access to the public treasury, and less restraint. As this 
country was divided into many small kingdoms, it became the 
great object of Luther to draw them, into a closer alliance, 
thus strengthening, not only their powers of possession, but 
congregating a greater religious force by which the doctrine 
of Luther will be more firmly established, the laws of the 
Catholic Church abolished, and the destruction of the 
monasteries made complete. 

As the people under the princes were easily weaned from 
their forms of worship, by the example of the lords and 
nobles, it is not surprising to find the doctrine so universally 
accepted. Where the people were slow to become reconciled 
to this change force was introduced and they were compelled 
to obey the mandates of those in authority. In order to have 
unity of action in the explanation of their belief, and to prevent 
any new reforms, a system of visitation was established, by 
which commissioners would give instruction to' the ministers 
and prescribe rules of government. In 1527 Melanchthon, the 
chief lieutenant of Luther, published his little book of "Visita- 
tion for the Preservation of Unity in Doctrine and Worship. " 
This gave to the clergy a condensed form of Luther's doctrine 
of worship. It gave instruction how to proceed, what to im- 
press more forcibly, and how to explain it. Two years later 



108 Christian Persecutions. 

Luther issued his large and small Catechisms. Thus the faith 
was established by a direct line of instruction. In 1542 con- 
sistories were established and a system inaugurated by which 
superintendents were appointed to carefully watch over the 
future exposition of this new declaration of Reformation. A 
rigid discipline was instituted, and the clergy commanded to 
observe the rules of faith, and preach only the doctrine as 
formulated by Luther and his co-laborers. 

To further enhance the prejudices against the Pope, Luther 
wrote "The Papacy at Rome an Institution of the Devil.'' 
In fhis work he used his greatest powers of expression. His 
language was often coarse and almost vulgar. He upbraided 
him with curses, and assailed him as a vile and impious 
wretch. He denounced him as a creature of the devil, a false 
prophet, a power of crime, a despot under the cloak of relig- 
ion, a stench to humanity, and for the benefit of the true 
worship of God, should be denied sovereignty, despoiled of 
his possessions, and be an exile on the face of the earth. Con- 
sidering these denunciations, is it any wonder that prejudices 
grew rapidly, and that the Pope should seek to destroy his 
poisonous influence by the power of conflict? And yet Luther 
was never arrested for the violation of Church or State laws* 
His body was never assailed, and his safe-conduct agreed to 
when he went to the great Diets for examination. 

To follow closely the rise of this Reformation we must 
note some historical facts in relation to France, Italy, Spain, 
and Germany. Charles I, of Spain, who afterwards became 
Emperor Charles V, was the son of Philip the Handsome, 
Archduke of Austria, and Joanna, daughter of Ferdinand and 



The Reformation. 109 

Isabella of Spain. This marriage conferred upon him "the 
converging point and heir of four great royal lines, which had 
become united by a series of happy matrimonial alliances.'' 
This alliance included the houses of Castile, Aragon, Austria, 
and Burgundy. To this was added, by the vote of the Elect- 
ors of Germany, the sovereignty of the Holy Roman Empire. 

Charles now having great combined strength, resolved to 
consecrate his life to the restoration of the Pope's power over 
all Christendom, and to destroy, not only the movement of 
the Reformation, but the seeds that had been sown. It now 
seemed to the world as if the fortunes of the Reformation, 
this religious revolt, were lost. He placed himself at the head 
of the Catholic party and was about to "employ the strength 
and resources of his empire in repressing the heresy of 
reform," when outside complications arose and he was obliged 
to cease active demonstrations. These complications consisted 
of the attitudes of Francis I, of France, and of Solyman, the 
Magnificent, Sultan of Turkey. These two monarchies were 
the most powerful dominions then in Europe. For some 
reason, whenever Charles threatened a crusade against the 
German heretics, these forces, sometimes acting in concert, 
would arise against him and the crusade would be abandoned. 

Four wars were waged against Charles, with disastrous 
results to his kingdom and the Church of Rome. In the first 
war Francis was defeated, but gathering strength by uniting 
with the German Lutherans, he captured Rome, sacked the 
city, and committed outrages only equaled by the terrible 
days of the Goth and Vandal. It was a great victory for the 
followers of Luther. They had retaliated for the excommuni- 



110 Christian Persecutions. 

cations and the edicts of the Pope. The ban was broken by 
victory, the Pope's power destroyed by conquest, ruin, and 
desolation. As the Imperial army was composed mostly of 
Lutherans, the cry was, Down with the Pope! Down with 
Catholic power! Down with the forces of Satan! Down for- 
ever the curse of empires, of kingdoms, and principalities! 
Luther was avenged, and gloried that the Reformation was 
made stronger, more enduring, and more perfect in the sight 
of God. 

In the third war Francis shocked all Christendom by 
forming an alliance with the Turkish Sultan, who, with his 
powerful fleets, ravaged the coasts of Italy, captured cities, 
destroyed churches, burned monasteries and persecuted 
Catholic Christians. In this war we find Turkish barbarity 
trying to outdo its previous records of pillage, rapine, and 
murder. 

In the fourth war the rival forces gain nothing, and the 
provinces aire restored to the same possessors as before the 
first war. 

The result of these wars was disastrous to nearly all of 
Europe. The strife between the followers of the Reformation 
and the Catholic Church was bitter in the extreme, and 
beyond the possibility of peace. They became possessed of a 
hatred so deep-seated that, in principle, can never die. 
Friends became enemies, and this enmity, in the struggle for 
conquest, grew stronger and stronger. The Turks were ter- 
rible in their ravages of Hungary, in- the capture of Rhodes, 
and in the pillage of the Mediterranean shores. Thousands 
of Catholics were captured and chained to the oars of Turkish 



The Keformation. Ill 

galleys, where they suffered the cruelties of untold persecu- 
tion. They were slaves of a barbarous race, a race without 
pity or compassion, a race devoid of Christian manhood and 
tolerance, a race of despotic power, of unbroken cruelty, of 
oppression, brutality, plunder, and crime. 

History informs us that Charles made a desperate fight 
with the Turks at Barbarossa, Tunis, defeating them and 
setting free 20,000 Christian captives. For this brilliant 
achievement all of Europe w T as wild with applause. The 
Turks had become a menacing power to Christianity. Their 
captives were made slaves, or butchered in relentless persecu- 
tion. It was not warfare in the light of civilization, but scenes 
of excessive cruelty, scenes of extermination, of prostitution 
and slavery. 

How little we, of the nineteenth century, realize the awful 
persecution of our ancient Christian fathers! How little we 
reverence those faithful men and women who, in the earnest 
faith of a true heart, surrendered life rather than surrender 
the conscience of their souls! What, then, can we say of those 
who, in the full manhood of strength and power, in possession 
of all that constitutes happiness, love, and affection, of their 
own free will and accord, without provocation or excuse, and 
of deliberate purpose, assail the vows of their worship, the 
vows of constancy, the pledge of fidelity, the true cross of 
Christ? If they will perjure their souls with the awful declara- 
tion of apostate denial, what right have we to recognize them 
in any form of truth, virtue or responsibility? Is it no sin to 
obligate one's self in the profession of faith, discipline, and 
obedience, and then intentionally, wilfully, and maliciously 



112 Christian Persecutions. 

defame that faith, that discipline, that obedience? Are you to 
be raised to the sublime height of heroism, because you slan- 
der the hand that kissed and blessed you? What form of 
ingratitude is baser or more ignoble, than to spurn the love 
and affection, the trust and confidence, of one who seeks only 
for your benefit, who labors only for your reward, only for 
the advancement of your pleasure and happiness? 

If a man enter your house and ask for bread, and you greet 
him with true Samaritan affection, what manner of reptile 
must he be to accept your alms and then curse the hand that 
gives it? What indignation must rise to your thoughts as you 
think of his depraved nature, the lost manhood, and the 
accursed Satan that must control his being? You lose your 
respect for the unfortunate poor because of this blot on 
humanity, this blot on God's handiwork, this barbarous and 
ungrateful creature, this contemptible relic of a falsehood .to 
life, a falsehood to nature, and a falsehood to charity. Words 
cannot express your righteous indignation that there can 
exist a wretch so vile, so mean, SO' low, so contemptible in the 
measure of decency, so abhorring to all the blessings of virtue, 
of truth, and of human sacrifice. And yet the world is full 
of this saddest of all sad pictures, of a broken faith, unrequited 
love, and cowardly desecration of God's command to give 
charity to the poor, benevolence to the afflicted, and brotherly 
love to all. 



CHAPTER X. 

ORIGIN OF THE REFORMATION. 

I\ /I ANY books have been published in explanation of the 
* * * cause and effects of the Reformation, but these books 
widely differ in regard to its true origin, the true causes, and 
the true effect upon mankind and his civilization. The unob- 
servant reader becomes confused at the contradictions, the 
lack of harmony, and the apparent desire to> suppress facts. 
Read from the life of Martin Luther, and these authors are 
prejudiced almost wholly in the line of exultation over his 
achievements, his great power of denunciation of all things 
Catholic, and the establishment of a new doctrine of worship. 
To accept the belief, or statement, of these authors is incon- 
sistent with good judgment. These versions are highly col- 
ored in order to give honor, force, and prestige to the hero 
they describe. While Luther was powerful in his denuncia- 
tion of the Pope, and in establishing a new creed, yet others 
were equally earnest, and labored to place themselves at the 
head of bands of reformers and secure a portion of the 
notoriety. 

The introduction and spread of Protestantism is not based 
upon the same foundatioin. It differs materially in the differ- 
ent countries where established. The cause in one country 
may be wholly different than in another; in fact, there are 
almost as many different causes as different governments 
that embraced it. 

113 



114 Christian Persecutions. 

In England it was wholly based upon the selfish desires of 
the King-, Henry VIII. He had become enamored with Anne 
Boleyn, the beautiful maid of honor in the Queen's household, 
and he conceived the plan of putting away his own wife, and 
by consent of the Pope, marry Anne. To this end he asked 
for a divorce, but was refused, the Church laws being against 
it. Enraged by the refusal to encompass his ends he rebelled 
against the Church of Rome, made new appointments of arch- 
bishops, established a court within the church and obtained 
his divorce. Being excommunicated, he declared his people 
no longer under the religious control of the Pope, and thus 
established a new church, the Church of- England. 

In Germany it was an attempt of Martin Luther to engraft 
his theology upon the Catholic Church, and failing, appealed 
to the people to renounce their allegiance to the old doctrine 
and become confessors of the new. 

In France it was John Calvin and the Huguenots, while 
in Switzerland it was Zwinglianism. In Holland the Puritans, 
while Anabaptists were in Sweden, Germany and England. 

It was a rivalry among restless and unrestrained agitators. 
The Christian world was being shaken by the fiery zeal of 
these would-be reformers. The atmosphere was charged with 
the spirit of change, and the people were willing listeners to 
the exhortations, the new worship of God, and the new plans 
of salvation. Princes were appealed to to drop the allegiance 
to the Church and place the revenues at their own disposal. 
Jealous monarchs desired more territory and seized the Papal 
States, confiscated revenues, levied tribute and destroyed the 
peace of nations. Wars became unrestrained. Pillage, devas- 



Origin of the ^Reformation. 115 

tation, ruin, and bloodshed were almost everywhere. Men 
fought for conquest, for religion, for church and for the gospel 
of faith. It was a series of uncontrolled passion for and 
against. They followed their leaders in blind fanaticism. 
Down with the Pope and his influence! Down with the 
Church of Rome, the monasteries, and all institutions of 
Catholic learning! 

Conventions were called to smooth the ways for peace, but 
of no avail. The reformers were growing louder and louder, 
and their declarations bolder and bolder. It was a whirlwind 
sweeping the fields of religious revolt. The fire was being 
fed by new exhortations, new appeals to throw off the bonds 
of Popedom, and new manifestations of zeal in the cause of 
this new Reformation. It was a religious reign of terror. 
Like France in the days of Robespierre, it was a howling, 
bellowing mob of religious revolt, of persecution of people, 
property, and government. 

History informs us that in the establishment of Prot- 
estantism in Germany it was one long line of wars, conflicts, 
and desolation. In two years (1524-1525) the "Peasants' War" 
in Germany was one of the most destructive of that period. 
It caused the sacrifice of over one hundred thousand lives, 
while castles, monasteries, churches, chapels, were sacked and 
burned. Men, women, and children were denied decent pro- 
tection. Religious excitement was fanatic madness, influenced 
by incendiary exhortations. The reformers were falling in 
disfavor and disrepute, and although it was not wholly a 
religious war, yet it is charged that the whole cause of foment 
was due to their teachings and their influence in howling 



116 Christian Persecutions. 

against the Catholic Church. But be it as it may, the follow- 
ers of the Roman Church were special marks' for hatred, 
malice, and persecution. They fought to defend their homes, 
their honor, and their religion. It was a war against tolera- 
tion, against religious freedom, and against the worship of 
God, except under the dictation of fanatical leaders. 

This war was not closed until a large part of Germany 
was made desolate by fire and sword. It was the old barbaric 
frenzy of extermination. No quarter, no toleration, no Catho- 
lic worship. It was the compulsion of Reformation to have 
no faith but their faith, no> church but their church, no wor- 
ship but their worship. This exacting creed could see only 
the proposed salvation of their own exposition. They were 
right, and all who opposed them, or would not accept their 
doctrine, were wrong and must be corrected by the force 
of power. 

While Luther was dealing out his Reformation to the peo- 
ple of Germany, other reformers were at work in France and 
Switzerland. In France it was John Calvin, while in Switzer- 
land it was Ulric Zwingli. These two factions of the Prot- 
estants were assailing the Pope and the Roman Church, but 
at the same time John "Calvin was denouncing Zwingli as an 
impostor and a mercenary heretic. This new conflict became 
a menace to the cause of Reformation and came near pro- 
ducing a rebellion in their own ranks. 

We may, therefore, charge that the Reformation was 
originated by the inventive resources of Martin Luther and 
his allies; Henry VIII, and his licentious conduct; Ulric 
Zwingli in Switzerland, John Calvin in France and Switzer- 



Origin of the Reformation. 117 

land, and numerous allies who* sought excitement in pro- 
claiming opposition to the Church of Rome. Most of these 
reformers were apostate priests, and having been in influence 
among the people, could easily command a following. 

These men were those most prominent in the establish- 
ment of religious revolt, which to-day has been divided and 
subdivided, until the various creeds number hundreds of dif- 
ferent denominations, while the Catholic Church remains the 
same in principles of worship, stronger in the power of adher- 
ence, of discipline, and of religious tolerance. Its influence 
is felt over the entire civilized world. Its missions of worship 
exist among all races of men, an ! d its Christian influence is 
advancing civilization, and with civilization we have a uni- 
versal worship of Christ, the improvement of mankind, and 
the establishment of trade, commerce, and industry. 

Christianity not only teaches the blessings of religion, but 
it educates the mind, develops the intelligence, and raises man 
above the sphere of indifference, above lawless ignorance, and 
above the base and brutal instincts of society. It is the great 
central power of progress, or promotion, in thfe achievements 
of thought and purpose. It seeks to build character, to 
improve ambition, and to teach the soul the true mission 
of life. 

History informs us that from the date of Martin Luther's 
first public declaration of Reformation, one hundred and 
thirty years of terrible bloodshed and carnage ensued before 
peace was again resumed. Not that it was one hundred and 
thirty years of constant war, but a constant agitation, turmoil, 
and periodic rebellions, and in the close of the war between 



118 Christian Persecutions. 

Protestants and Catholics we find thirty years of the most 
stupendous desolation of life and property that the world 
ever saw. 

Almost exactly one hundred years from the time Martin 
Luther posted his ninety-five theses on the door of the court 
church at Wittenberg, the "Thirty Years' War" was begun. 
It was the last great religious conflict between these two 
forces. The Catholics no longer sought to sustain their 
religion by force of arms, but by the power of wisdom, of 
constant vigilance, and the close application of its influence, 
it would conquer the world to an acknowledgment of its 
universal faith among all men. 

How wonderful have been its achievements when to-day 
we see this Church established in almost every city and hamlet 
in the civilized world! It is no longer a cry to arms, but an 
appeal to human nature. It is a diffusion of the Gospel of 
St. Peter in all the commercial interests of life. It is the 
acknowledgment of universal toleration, universal peace and 
good-will, and universal Christianity in the hearts of the 
people. It is no longer the jealousies of kings, princes and 
potentates. It is the worship of God, the advancement of 
love and kindness, and the establishment of the teachings of 
Christ in all the nations of the earth. 



CHAPTER XL 

MARTIN LUTHER. 

IVAARTIN LUTHER was born at Eisleben, Saxony, 
*** November 10, 1483, and died in 1546. At a very 
young age he developed a remarkable genius for thought, 
study and advancement in discussion. His parents were poor, 
but determined to educate Martin in the profession of law, 
but in this they were not successful. His early Christian 
training was far more impressive than questions of law, and 
he became a conscientious and devout Catholic. He studied 
for the ministry, and in 1507 was ordained to the priesthood. 

Soon after being ordained he was passing through a forest 
in company with a friend, when a terrible storm burst upon 
them. His friend was killed by lightning, and as the fearful 
bolts rent tree after tree he became stricken with an exceed- 
ing great fear, and cried aloud: "Help me, dear St. Anna! 
I will become a monk." True to this solemn vow he imme- 
diately made arrangements to enter a monastery, and soon 
bade adieu to his friends and took upon himself the monastic 
vows that would forever pledge his faith, his works, and his 
life to the cause of Christ and His Church. 

Luther's life was one of strict observance of every vow and 
requirement of his religious order. He rigidly demanded of 
others the same principles he confessed, the same sacred 
worship, and the same love of humanity. In the monasteries 
he was loved for his filial duty to his superiors, his ardent 
worship of Christ, and his purity of life. 



120 Christian Persecutions. 

His zeal for the Church was unbounded, and when sent 
as a messenger to Rome, he traveled on foot from monastery 
to monastery, across the Alps, his love of worship growing 
stronger and stronger as he beheld the faithful administration 
of love, kindness, and relief. At Florence he was delighted 
with the management of the hospitals by Christian women, 
and when for the first time he beheld Rome in all its grandeur 
and magnificence, he was inspired with so deep a veneration 
for that Sacred City that he fell upon his knees, and with 
uplifted hands exclaimed: "Hail, Holy Rome! Oh, Rome! 
Rome! The city of Christ, the city of St. Peter, and the city 
of consecrated worship. How I love thee." 

His admiration of Rome was increased as he visited its 
historic monuments of greatness, its Colosseum, gardens, 
aqueduct, ancient feats of engineering, it's statues, and, above 
all, the ecclesiastical buildings and the massive and imposing 
structure of St. Peter's. For hours he viewed these structures 
with admiration, and blessed God for the privilege of behold- 
ing their splendor. 

But not from the pleasure of viewing these holy buildings 
did he derive his greatest satisfaction. He longed to stand 
in the influence of Holy Authority and receive the spiritual 
blessings which would gladden his pious longings. He would 
make a full confession of all his sins, and in his toilsome 
ascent of Pilate's stairway he would continue his praises to 
God for the divine privilege of these favors in the Holy City 
of Rome. 

Luther returned to Germany with the highest aspirations 
of Christian duties. He had become a devout admirer and 



Martin Luther. 121 

champion of the Pope. He had seen him and met him in 
the purity of Christian faith. He had loved him from afar, 
but now he was thrice loved and revered as he thought of 
the Apostle Peter, of Christ, and of God. Luther's heart was 
filled with true devotion to his Church, his religion, and his 
vows. If he had loved his religion before, he now promised 
to consecrate anew his life to the advancement of Christianity. 
He had received new encouragements, new visions of eternal 
life, and new veneration for the great head of the Catholic 
Church. 

His conduct at Rome won for him the esteem of the Pope 
and those in high authority. His earnest Christian worship, 
and fidelity to the cause of Christ, were everywhere regarded 
as the offerings of a pure heart. He came to Rome for instruc- 
tion, and returned filled with wisdom and truth. He came in 
the expectation of a spiritual blessing and received it, and 
went away in the full resolution of a dutiful son. He felt 
more fully than ever the sanctity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
and returned with a gracious vow of perpetual purity. He 
knelt at the altar of St. Peter, and arose with the bright 
visions of eternal peace. 

The rapid promotion of Luther soon found him installed 
as a professor of theology in the University of Wittenberg, 
where he explained the Scriptures with great power of reason. 
He became not only a follower, but a powerful leader. His 
power of language and expression entranced his hearers, and 
he became known throughout all Germany as one of the most 
able and learned priests. He taught purity of thought, deed, 
and action, and although priest might sin, yet he would not 

(9) 



122 Christian Persecutions. 

condemn. His compassion was great, and forgiveness the 
divine instruction of God. 

Once when informed of the disgrace of a monk he said: 
'That offenses come I know is necessary; the wonder is that 
man rises and stands. Peter fell that he might know himself 
to be a man. To-day the cedars of Lebanon, which touch the 
heavens with their heads, are falling. Even an angel (a won- 
der surpassing all wonders) fell in Heaven, and Adam in 
Paradise. What wonder, then, if a reed be moved by the 
wind, and the smoking flax be quenched V } 

Here we have an example of Luther's compassion for his 
fellow man. He seeks to mitigate the cause by the wonder 
that man, under the temptations of life, can stand at all. He 
realized the power of sin, the power of passion over wisdom, 
the body over mind. He knew that even an angel in Heaven 
•could fall, that the Apostle Peter had even denied Christ, 
and for man, or priest, to be perfect and free from sin, was 
to claim divine origin. But, while it was not impossible to 
fall, yet he believed with Christian strength the desire for sin 
'Could be controlled and the mind, the thouglh't, the soul, would 
rise above the body and temptation would fall harmless at 
his feet. 

Again, we find him in the character of giving advice, and 
in a letter to Michael Dressel he explains as follows: "You 
are seeking peace, but in the reverse order; for you are seek- 
ing it as the world, and not as Christ gives. Do you not 
know, good father, that God is wonderful in His people, just 
because He has placed His peace in the midst of no peace. 
Peace, therefore, is not to be found with the man whom no 



Martin Luther. 123 

one disturbs, for this is the peace of the world, but with Him 
whom all men and all things disturb, and who, nevertheless, 
calmly and joyfully bears all things. With Israel, you are 
saying: Peace, peace; and there is no peace. Say, rather, 
with Christ: Cross, cross; and there is no cross. For the 
cross ceases to be a cross as soon as you can joyfully exclaim: 
Blessed Cross, among all trees there is none like thee." 

Such teaching is indeed grand, sublime. A cross is no 
cross when it becomes the desire of the soul. In the perse- 
cution of Christians the cross of crucifixion was nothing less 
than the cross of eternal life. In the great Roman amphithe- 
aters the cross the Christians bore was the forerunner of the 
establishment of Christ's Church, the foundation of Chris- 
tianity, and its advancement to all nations. It was the giving 
of life that the Blessed Word of God might live forever. 

Luther realized that the greatest obstacle to the advance- 
ment of Christianity was the old Atheistic philosophy. He 
saw that many were prone to believe that the best religion 
was that which was easiest to perform, that they were disin- 
clined to believe where it exercised restraint, penance, and 
confession, and when this old pagan philosophy was placed 
before them they chose to follow it, as it was the broad road 
to a free imagination, with no remorse, no contrition of spirit, 
and no punishment of the self-will of man. Luther saw the 
sadness of this condition, and in his review of Aristotle, indig- 
nantly exclaimed: "If Aristotle had not been of the flesh, I 
should not hesitate in saying that he was of the devil." He 
had no patience with this impious desecration of God's Holy 
Name by denying the divinity of Christ and the salvation 
of man. 



124 Christian Persecutions. 

Luther had now arrived at the age of understanding. He 
had visited Rome, received the blessing of the Pope, declared 
anew his allegiance to the Catholic Church, and in his deep 
devotion had praised God for these unbounded blessings. He 
had returned to Germany filled with the deepest reverence, 
and yet he became the most violent opponent that Rome ever 
saw. Reared in the lap of pure worship, raised to manhood 
under the most powerful ties of brotherhood, and blessed in 
the sweet communion of love, he yet renounced his Christian 
vows, the Church of his devout worship, and the power of 
Christ in Rome. 

Henry VIII denounced the Pope and established the 
Church of England, because he could not be permitted to 
follow his licentious nature by breaking marriage vows. 
Napoleon imprisoned and persecuted Popes to extort privi- 
leges by which he could become the head of both Church and 
State. Voltaire, Rousseau, and Aristotle persecuted Chris- 
tianity, not by deeds of violence, but by the sophistry of logic. 
They drew pictures of infidelity, and in the imagination of 
their inventive genius they declared there was no God, no 
Divine inspiration, no salvation, no soul. 

But what can we say of Martin Luther? Was he evil in 
mind and licentious in nature? No! No priest was ever 
purer in heart than was he. Was he won by the teachings of 
philosophy? His answer to Aristotle is evidence of his abhor- 
rence of all sophistry and all inventions of reason. Was he 
like Napoleon, arbitrary and despotic? No, his nature was 
one of forgiveness, compassion, and love. Then why, may we 
ask, did this worthy, pious monk renounce his Church, his 



Martin Luther. 125 

fellowship, his vows? To answer this, we might ask in return, 
why does sin exist? Why was man made to break the cove- 
nants of God? Why did persecution follow Christ, even after 
his death? These are things that are beyond the comprehen- 
sion of man. We are created, we live, we love, we die. The 
inspiration of God may brighten our souls to-day, but to-mor- 
row the black clouds of idolatry may shroud our being in 
mystery. 

History informs us that it was not the intention of Luther 
to renounce the Church, but to ingraft his logic into it. He 
had become a great teacher, and in many respects a philoso- 
pher — not a philosopher in the denunciation of Christ, but 
in the exposition of Christianity. He believed he had formu- 
lated a new system for the general interpretation of Christian 
worship, and in his ninety-five theses he would revolutionize 
the whole Catholic dogma. These arguments, which were 
advanced by Luther to sustain his views of worship, were in 
many cases directly opposite to the tenets of the Catholic 
Church, and immediately the priest, the monk, the professor, 
the philosopher came into open warfare with the Church 
at Rome. 

Luther's denunciation of the Catholic religion caused a 
sensation, and spread consternation and dismay. Was it pos- 
sible for this learned professor to openly disavow the princi- 
ples upon which the Church rested, and which he had repeat- 
edly vowed in the most solemn manner to sustain and defend? 
Is it any wonder that in fourteen days this startling intelli- 
gence was heralded over all Germany, and in two months 
that nearly the whole of Europe should read of Luther's 



126 Christian Persecutions. 

Reformation? These ninety-five theses, the product of 
Luther's reasoning, were printed everywhere. The audacity 
of this great philosopher to openly antagonize the Pope, to 
set up a new doctrine of worship, to proclaim, his tenets to 
the world, was indeed a remarkable transformation. 

The whole life of Luther was one of startling events. His 
actions were the outcome of impulse rather than modest sub- 
mission. His determination to> enter the monastery was sud- 
den and unlooked-for. His vow to St. Anna, in the midst of 
a terrible storm, was but the impetuous demonstration of his 
being. His position in the University of Wittenberg was an 
unlooked-for promotion in his line of aspirations. His ninety- 
five arguments against the Church of Rome were the results 
of the teacher and not of the priest and scholar. He was 
called to teach theology, and he would invent that which- 
would please him most. He had reasoned and he must sow 
his thoughts. He saw defects and must wipe out the whole 
structure. He believed mankind was blind, and he would 
open their eyes. In his mind's eyes he saw food for imagina- 
tion, for conception, for invention. The world was wicked, 
and he would destroy its evil. It was lost in worship, and he 
would lead in reformation. 

While Luther's remarkable utterances were read, discussed 
and denounced by many priests, monks, and professors, yet 
the Pope was slow to condemn. Leo X was free to grant the 
widest discussion possible. He was liberal-minded in his 
views of worship, and granted to all the right to think and 
act. Secretly he was amused at the controversy between what 
he called monastic wrangling. "Brother Martin has a very 



Maktin Luther. 127 

fine head, and when he has recovered from the effect of too 
much drink the illusion will be dispelled.'' He could not 
believe so ardent a Catholic, and one so bound by devotion, 
by pledges of faith, by monastic vows, could mean antagonism 
against the Church. 

On being mildly rebuked by Leo X for the public expres- 
sion of his new theology, Luther writes, explaining that, as 
professor of the University of Wittenberg, it became his duty 
to teach theology, and in doing so he had exercised only the 
right conferred upon him. He assured the Pope that there 
was nothing dangerous in his line of teachings. It was only 
the dissemination of benefits to the Church, the people, and 
the cause of Christianity. In closing, he says: "Quicken, 
kill, call, recall, approve, reprove, as you please. I will 
acknowledge your voice as that of Christ, presiding and 
speaking in you." 

Again we see the impulsiveness of Luther's nature. If he 
had offended, he would submit to whatever chastisement the 
Pope might inflict. He believed in the Pope, and yet he 
wrote against him. He believed that he represented Christ, 
yet he would reason against it. He believed that the authority 
of the Pope must be recognized, yet he taught disobedience. 
He believed that the decisions of the Pope were just, yet he 
taught that Christians should be bound by their conscience. 
With him the Church was right if we believed in its teachings, 
but wrong if we saw its defects. He desired to be in com- 
munion with Rome, yet he persisted in uttering his own 
theology. 

When Luther was called for trial we find this remarkable 



128 Christian Persecutions. 

presentation of his position: "I, Brother Martin Luther, the 
Augustinian, protest that I revere and follow the Holy Roman 
Church in all my words and deeds, present, past, and future. 
If anything otherwise has been said I wish it unsaid. I protest 
that I am not conscious of having said anything contrary to 
Holy Scripture, the Church Fathers, the papal decrees, or 
right reason, but that all that I have said seems to me to-day 
to be sound, true, and Catholic. Nevertheless, as I am not 
infallible, I have submitted myself, and now submit myself 
to the judgment and determination of the lawful holy Church, 
and to all of better mind. Besides, I offer either here or else- 
where to present publicly a reason for my statements. But 
if this is not agreeable to Your Reverence, I am ready either 
to respond in writing to the objections urged and to hear the 
judgment and decision of the doctors of the renowned Im- 
perial Universities of Basel, Freiburg, Lou vain; or, if they be 
not enough, of Paris also, the parent of studies, and from 
antiquity ever the most Christian University, and that in 
which theology has been particularly cultivated." 

This statement of Luther is given as evidence that he 
believed in the Church of Rome, the Pope and his decrees, but 
at the same time appeared unconscious of having written 
aught that was antagonistic to them. He was confronted with 
forty-one errors, and asked to recant. These errors were 
statements made in his theses, and antagonized the laws of 
the Catholic Church. Luther responded with gross insults to 
the Pope and in his address, "To the Emperor and the Nobility 
of the German Nation, on the Improvement of Christian 
Morals," formally severed himself from the Church by reject- 



Martin Luther. 129 

ing the hierarchy, denying the priesthood, calling upon the 
temporal powers to rise up against the Pope, deprive him 
of all government, abolish the taxes for his support, abrogate 
all issues of censures, permit the clergy to marry, discard 
masses for the dead, discard requirements for fasting, absti- 
nence from flesh on Friday, and other important tenets of the 
Catholic Church. This address was published throughout all 
Germany, and the financial advantages to be gained by the 
Princes and Nobility won many ardent supporters for a com- 
plete severance of the power of Rome. 

The entire continent was now deeply involved in the dis- 
cussion of this great controversy. Would the Pope excom- 
municate Luther for his bold attack on the entire system and 
body of the Roman Catholic Church? Was Luther a heretic, 
and was he advocating a doctrine that would destroy the 
Church? These were questions of such vast importance that 
the world waited with feverish anxiety for the outcome of 
this deadly feud. 

On the 15th of July, 1520, the Pope issued a bull com- 
manding Luther, on the penalty of excommunication, to 
renounce, within sixty days, his ninety-five theses, and other 
offensive language he had hurled against the Pope and the 
Church. Failing to meet the demand, he was formally excom- 
municated, and in February, 1521, the Pope commanded the 
Emperor and Princes of the German Empire to enforce the 
law against heretics who had been excluded from the com- 
munion of the Church by excommunication. The adherents 
of Luther, with the noted Elector Frederic, asked for further 
examination, and, by consent, Luther appeared at "The Diet 



130 Christian Persecutions. 

of Worms," but, as before, refused to renounce even one state- 
ment previously made. "I neither believe the Pope nor the 
ecumenical councils alone, since it is quite certain and mani- 
fest that they have frequently erred and contradicted them- 
selves. My conscience is captive to God's Word. I neither 
can nor will recall anything*. God help me! Amen." 

Thus the last effort to counsel with Luther proved fruit- 
less, and a hopeless separation ensued. Luther returned to 
Wittenberg, where, in the presence of the students, he burned 
the bull, and thus declared himself forever free from, the Pope, 
the Church, the priesthood, and the vows of faithful adherence 
to the Roman Catholic Church. On the 26th of May he was 
placed under the ban of the empire, and all persons, universi- 
ties, and states were prohibited from affirming, defending, 
preaching, or in any way, publicly or privately, expressly or 
silently, favoring the doctrine of Luther, under pain of excom- 
munication; and wherever his writings are found they shall 
be publicly burned and denounced as heresies, and, as far as 
possible, the teachings of apostasy shall be driven from the 
folds of the Church. 

Luther, in a spirit of retaliation, replies as follows : "Where 
art thou, most excellent Emperor Charles? and, where are 
you, ye Christian kings and princes? Can you, who have 
made oath to Christ in baptism, endure these Tartarean 
declarations of Antichrist? Where are you, ye bishops, ye 
doctors, ye confessors of Christ's name? In the presence of 
these horrible portents of the Papists, can you keep silent? 
Thee, Leo X, and you, ye cardinals of Rome, I address and 
to your face I freely say: If this bull has gone forth in your 



Martin Luther. 131 

name, and with your knowledge, and you acknowledge it, I 
will use my authority, by which, in baptism, by the mercy of 
God, I became a son of God, and co-heir with Christ, and 
was placed upon a firm rock, which dreads neither the gates 
of hell, nor heaven, nor earth. I exhort and admonish you in 
the Lord, to repent, and to make an end to these diabolical 
blasphemies, and that too, speedily. Unless this be done, 
know that I, with all that worship Christ, will regard your See 
possessed of Satan, and the accursed abode of Antichrist, 
whom we not only cannot obey, but detest and execrate, as 
the chief enemy of Christ. For this declaration we are ready, 
not only to bear with joy your foolish censures, but even not 
to ask you to absolve us or account us of your memberage; 
we offer ourselves for death, that you may satisfy your bloody 
tyranny. But, if the spirit of Christ and the power of our 
faith avails, should you persevere in your fury after this has 
been written, we condemn you and, together with the bull and 
all its decretals, deliver you to Satan, for the destruction of 
your flesh, that your spirit may be delivered to the day of 
the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, whom 
you persecute. Amen." 

We almost hold our breath at the awful denunciations of 
the apostate monk. He almost assumes the position of divine 
authority when he declares that "I am a son of God, and 
co-heir with Christ, and was placed upon a firm rock, which 
dreads neither the gates of hell, nor heaven, nor earth.'' And 
further, "Unless this be done, know that I, with all that wor- 
ship, will regard your See possessed of Satan, and the ac- 
cursed abode of Antichrist, whom we not only cannot obey, 
but detest and execrate, as the chief enemv of Christ.'' 



/ 

132 Ohkistian Persecutions. 

We now see the man in the fullness of a dictator. If he 
could not place his philosophy as the truths of the Church 
he would call down the wrath of Heaven to punish those who 
would not believe. The great Church of Christ had erred. 
It had blasphemed against Luther. The co-heir with Christ 
had been excommunicated, and now the wrath of injured 
innocence must descend in flames of living fire. The Pope 
must be possessed of Satan and the accursed abode of Anti- 
christ.' The vials of wrath must be poured on the heads of 
those who could not believe as he believed. He must be con- 
sidered infallible. He was professor of theology at the Uni- 
versity of Wittenberg, and had studied the Scriptures with a 
deep understanding. It was not what the Apostle Peter had 
bequeathed to the Church, but what Martin Luther had con- 
cluded should be in. He was to be the authority, the law, 
the gospel- 
Luther's terrible denunciation of the Catholic Church 
brought dangers to his person by infuriated men, and to 
avoid the penalty of imprisonment by disobedience to the 
State authority he was forced into retirement, and for a year 
was not known to the outside world. During this period he 
translated the Bible into German, fitting it, as has been 
charged, to suit his own system of belief. When conscience 
reproached him he laid its torments to the persecutions of the 
Devil. He was an incessant worker in his vineyard of reform. 
Now placed upon the defensive by being excommunicated, he 
opened his rapid-fire guns in almost ceaseless roar. So great 
was his productive ability that in five months he had written 
seven different publications of considerable length, all teem- 



Maktin Luther. 133 

ing^with denunciations against the Pope and a defense of his 
ninety-five theses, or arguments, against the Church. 

It was this wonderful ability to constantly place before 
the German people something new, or demonstrative, that 
gained their admiration and confidence. They were consider- 
ing this ability as a gift from God, and their belief became 
stronger and stronger as he became more bold and defiant. 
Luther knew his powers of exhortation, and everywhere 
sought to convince the people that his belief, his theology, was 
the word of God. So strong were his utterances in publica- 
tions and in speech that his word was being accepted as the 
true gospel of worship. 

Again does it become necessary to quote his astounding 
utterances against the Church. On December 10, 1520, he 
posted the following declaration on the bulletin board of the 
University of Wittenberg: 

"All friends of evangelical truth are invited to assemble 
about nine o'clock at the Church of the Holy Cross beyond 
the city wall. There, according to ancient apostolic usage, 
the godless books of the Papal constitutions and Scholastic 
Theology will be burned, inasmuch as the presumption of the 
enemies of the Gospel has advanced to such a degree that 
they have cast the godly, evangelical books of Luther into the 
fire. Let all earnest students, therefore, appear at the spec- 
tacle; for it is now time when Antichrist must be exposed.'' 

At the appointed hour hundreds of students gathered at 
the appointed place with great expectancy. With intense 
excitement they saw Luther build a pyre upon which he 
placed the books of canonical law which came in conflict with 



134 Christian Persecutions. 

his theology, and as the fire seized these sacred laws he hurled 
into the flames, with great violence, the bull of the Pope, 
exclaiming: "Because thou dost trouble the Holy One of the 
Lord, may eternal fire consume thee!" Before the books were 
consumed Luther withdrew, leaving the students to continue 
in the entire destruction. Left to their own diversion they 
represented the affair as one of levity, singing funeral hymns, 
marching in mock procession, preaching farewell sermons; 
and to continue the orgies of persecution, they prepared a 
wagon, with floats, marching through the streets of the city 
and crying that Papal authority was forever burned and 
destroyed. To continue the excitement they gathered other 
books of the Church, and with renewed processions continued 
the work of desecration. All day long the rabble gloried in 
their wild, reckless demonstrations of mockery. They drank 
to the health of Luther, and cried against the decrees of the 
Pope. They cheered for one and groaned for the other. They 
praised God for His expositions of truth through Luther, and 
spat at the Pope as though he were in communion with Satan. 
So strong were their demonstrations that Luther, the next 
day, censured them to some extent for their levity. The 
solemnity of the occasion was broken, by these brutal attacks, 
and while it did not materially affect the motives of Luther, 
yet to many reasoning minds it was cruel and unjust, and had 
more the appearance of studied revenge than the progress of 
Reformation. 

On the following day Luther issued the following edict: 
"If, with your whole heart, you do not separate from the 
dominion of the Pope, you cannot be saved. In this wicked 



Martin Luther. 135 

world I would rather endure all perils than, by silence, burden 
my conscience with the account I must render to God." 

Knowing that a terrible storm was in the atmosphere, and 
fearing its consequences, he again writes to the Pope: "If 
Christ loves you He will compel you to recall that declaration, 
since in the bull everything is condemned that you have here- 
tofore taught concerning the mercy of God. This is no time 
for fear, but for raising the alarm, when our Lord Jesus 
Christ is condemned, dishonored and blasphemed. I exhort 
you, therefore, to humble your pride with as much urgency 
as you exhort me to humility; for you have too much humility 
as I have too much pride. But it is a serious matter to see 
Christ suffering. If heretofore we had to keep silent and be 
humbled, now, when throughout the world our Savior is made 
sport of, shall we, I ask, not contend for Him? Shall we not, 
for His sake, offer our necks? My Father, the danger is 
greater than many believe. Here the Gospel begins to have 
its application: 'Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him 
will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven; 
but whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny 
before My Father which is in heaven.' " 

In another letter we find his remorse of conscience ever 
troubling him in his dreams: "Last night I had a dream con- 
cerning you. I thought you were leaving me, and that I was 
most bitterly weeping; but I was pacified when you said 
that you would return." 

It is not necessary to explain the ficklemindedness of 
Luther. His letters and violent declarations are in complete 
opposition. To-day he declares the Church is the foundation 



136 Christian Persecutions. 

of Antichrist, and to-morrow appeals to the Pope to come to 
the rescue of our Lord Jesus Christ. His mind was in one 
constant state of fear. In his passionate appeals to the people 
he goes to the extreme limit of persecution, and in the reaction 
he sues for mercy, comfort, and consolation. Had these 
waverings of his own faith been known to his followers, the 
Reformation of Martin Luther might have never been. But 
in the magnetism of his unexplained nature he swayed multi- 
tudes, molded opinion, installed a new theology, and brought 
into existence the foundation of all future Protestant religions. 



CHAPTER XII. 

MARTIN LUTHER— Continued. 

"\ A TE will not continue with a minute discussion of Luther's 
" * course, or the action of others. He was almost conr- 
stantly engaged in writing books and pamphlets sustaining 
his position and denouncing the Pope. The Edict of Worms 
had condemned him as an outlaw in the eyes of the Catholic 
Church, and demanded punishment, but, having the powerful 
aid of several princes and bishops, he was not arrested and 
brought to justice. The German people were so astounded 
at the boldness of his accusations and his continuous words 
of defense, that they were unwilling to denounce him as a 
heretic, or to think of him otherwise than as one comimissioned 
from God. 

To break monastic vows was regarded as a great wrong 
against the Church, against obedience, and against honor. 
But Luther determined to free the minds of others, if not his 
own, by a publication reflecting upon these vows as unholy, 
unchristian, and as conflicting with the fulfillment of the 
duties he owed to God. In his pamphlet, "Monastic Vows/' 
he most determinedly points out the errors of a monk's life, 
the inconsistent requirements of duty, and the ungodly perse- 
cution of the rights of man, claiming that man falsified him- 
self when he vowed himself to celibacy, to confession, to 
penance, and to the holy requirements of his faith. He called 
upon all monks to renounce their obligations and their alle- 

(10) 137 



138 Christian Persecutions. 

giance to Rome. Some obeyed this call and were married, 
while others refused to become apostates, and remained true 
to the worship of God under the protection of the Catholic 
Church. 

Luther, himself, followed the course which he had urged 
others to take, and in the year 1525, at the age of forty-two 
years, and in defiance of his priestly and monastic vows, mar- 
ried a Cistercian nun, named Catherine von Bora. This act 
startled and surprised Luther's friends, and even Erasmus, 
one of the greatest admirers of his opposition to the Roman 
Church, scoffingly writes: "This undertaking of Luther's 
appears to many a tragedy, but he himself must hold it for a 
comedy, as everything ends with a marriage." 

Luther went so far in his opposition to the celibacy of the 
clergy, and to monastic vows, as to declare that such religious 
vows were against the teachings of Christ; that they were 
tyrannical, contrary to nature, and blasphemies against the 
laws of God. He held, therefore, that the law of clerical 
celibacy should be abolished; that monastic vows should not 
only be annulled, but made severely punishable, and all 
monasteries leveled to the ground. 

Besides his violent opposition to monastic institutions, 
he just as violently opposed the time-honored sacrifice of the 
Mass, and wantonly set aside every feature of Catholic ven- 
eration, or invocation, thus forbidding the honoring of saints, 
a reverence for pictures, relics, images, or any representation 
that carries to the mind of the true Catholic the remembrance 
of the original. 

Luther was often asked by what right he had exalted 



Martin Luther. 139 

himself over popes, bishops, councils, doctors, and fathers, 
and set himself up as a reformer? If he had received a com- 
mission from God, why not prove it by the manifestation of 
miracles, or by signs and wonders, as apostles and prophets 
had done before him? While he did not respond to these 
questions, yet he commanded that others who were preach- 
ing a different reform theology from his must prove that they 
were commissioned by some miraculous power of God, or 
be condemned for heresy. 

Luther's controversial power consisted more in his bold- 
ness of declaration than soundness of argument in his defense. 
As he was eloquent in making his assertions and positive in 
every statement uttered, he easily gave his opinions the force 
of absolute facts. He would not admit the possibility of being 
wrong, and as he placed his hand upon the Bible, he declared 
that this book was his guide, and from it he drew his wisdom 
and his exposition of faith. For him there was no require- 
ment of miracles, signs or wonders. The power of under- 
standing and the comprehension of the Word of God were 
all-sufficient. 

The boldness of his assertions gave to him the seeming 
appearance of being in the right, and when it was shown 
that his teachings were purely arbitrary and in direct opposi- 
tion to councils and fathers, he would respond that councils 
and fathers were of the earth earthy, but that his teachings 
were from the Word of God, the Holy Scripture, the Un- 
deniable Truth. If he were questioned as to his right 
understanding of the Divine Word, and told that his inter- 
pretation of it was against reason, he was ready to reply that 



140 Christian Persecutions. 

it was the Devil that misled the Romish priests in measuring 
the Word of God by reason, and that reason was a beast 
whom the Christian was, on the contrary, bound to denounce 
and destroy. Reason, he said, was the Atheistic doctrine of 
denial of Divine Authority. It was the Devil clothed in 
sophistry, and he who listens to it may depart from the true 
light of God. 

If, however, the words in question were so clearly ex- 
pressed that he could not deny that his own doctrine did 
not agree with them, he would appeal from the text to Christ, 
and say, that as he had the Lord and Master of the Scripture 
on his side he did not need to inquire into every passage by 
itself; or else, to sustain his doctrine, he would change the 
passage so as to conform to his teachings. Thus, for instance, 
in Romans iii, 28, he allowed himself to interpolate the word 
"alone" into the text, in order to support his doctrine that 
faith "alone" sufficed for justification. When this error was 
objected to he replied: Should any Papist be wishing to get 
rid of that word "alone" tell him at once that Doctor Martin 
Luther will have it there, and he says, "a Papist is just the 
same thing as an ass." 

Thus we find that Luther, in the translation of his Bible 
did, in numerous places, change the real meaning so as to 
conform to his ideas of teaching. In his theology he believed 
that the exposition of Divine Truth should convey such and 
such impressions, and in his exalted wisdom it was eminently 
proper to either drop out or interpolate words, according as 
it seemed to accord with his understanding. 

In a letter to his father we find that Luther desires to 



Martin Luther. 141 

explain how and why he has broken faith, and writes: "I 
send this book, therefore, to you, in order that you may see 
by what signs and power Christ now has freed me from my 
monastic vow, and given me such liberty that, although I 
have been made the servant of all, yet I am subject to no 
one but to Him alone. For He is my immediate Bishop, 
Abbot, Prior, Lord, Father, and Master. None other do 
I know.' 7 

In one of his exhortations we find Luther entreating his 
brethren to give up the services of Mass. "Dear sirs, abandon 
the Mass. Your way of celebrating it is not right, and you 
are sinning and provoking God's wrath." It was not until 
1524 that the people of Wittenberg were induced to give up 
the long-established services of Mass. It was a great struggle 
of conscience, but the logic of this man prevailed, and he won 
control, and the cherished form of worship was abandoned. 

Among the most fiery and vehement opposers of Luther 
and his doctrine, was Henry VIII, King of England, who 
afterwards became the Pope's bitterest foe. Henry, in writ- 
ing to the Pope, declares that Luther must be punished for 
disobedience, heresy, and the desecration of God's Holy 
Church. Measures must be taken to terminate the propaga- 
tion ot Lutheranism, which poisoned the mind and meant 
spiritual death. That Luther was possessed of the Devil, and 
his teachings were more pernicious than were all the Turks, 
Saracens, and unbelievers combined. By his urgent appeals 
to stamp out the heresy, and punish the offender, Henry was 
given the title of "Defender of the Faith.'' 

The spread of Luther's Reformation was not exactly in 



142 Christian Persecutions. 

the line of his expectation and wishes. Other reformers 
appeared upon the field, and, in pointing out the errors of 
Luther, sought to establish a religion of their own. Promi- 
nent among these new prophets were Zwickau, John Calvin, 
and Zwingli. Zwickau declared that all knowledge should be 
founded upon and confined to the Bible, schools should be 
abolished, and all study restricted to the teachings of Christ. 
In Switzerland there arose a new order called Zwinglians, 
who differed with Luther on many points of doctrine, and 
became powerful in many localities. Then we find that John 
Calvin, a Frenchman by birth, who was forced to leave 
France, established another powerful branch of opposition to 
Martin Luther at Genoa. Then followed subdivision after 
subdivision, until the number of denominations and churches 
became greater and greater, and even to this day are being 
remodeled, revamped, and placed on new foundations of faith. 
A new feature now arises upon the horizon of the fame of 
Luther and his co-laborers in the field of reformation. The 
peasant people were everywhere being aroused against popes, 
princes, nobility, wealth, religion, and all society. They were 
having too much agitation, too much controversy, too much 
religion. Luther had broken the restraint placed upon them 
by the Catholic Church, and the wild terrors of war were soon 
raging. This war is known in history as 'The Peasants' 
War.''' The peasants were aroused to madness by the oppres- 
sion of their feudal lords, and through the religious excite- 
ment that filled the air, they saw their wrongs multiplied, their 
oppression intensified and their way made clear to open revolt. 
They saw Luther denounce the Pope, denounce, the Church, 



Martin Luther. 143 

and denounce their mode of worship. They saw and felt these 
influences and having broken their allegiance to the Church 
of Rome, were beyond restraint. Their ravages were most 
terrible and destructive. They reviled the priests, sacked and 
burned castles and monasteries, destroyed images of Christ, 
and the Virgin Mary, jeered at the worship of God, com- 
mitted desperate crimes against women and children, and in 
the mad frenzy of uncontrolled rage they equaled the Reign 
of Terror in the days of Robespierre. For nearly a year this 
desperate carnage of death, fire, and destruction, swept the 
provinces of Germany. During this period of Reformation 
nearly one hundred thousand lives had been sacrificed, a 
large part of Southern Germany made desolate, and the 
peasants distracted in religion, faith, and truth. They had 
been conquered, but were embittered against God and man. 
The quiet of previous years had been turned into anarchy, 
bloodshed, and ruin. The gospel of Christ was reviled, hated, 
and trampled upon, and although Luther professed horror 
at the terrible strife, yet many of his religious co-partners were 
leaders in this great insurrection. History asserts that this 
war was instituted for the purpose of destroying the Church of 
Rome, persecuting Catholics, and establishing a reform gov- 
ernment in both Church and State, and in this charge Martin 
Luther is held responsible just in proportion as his influence 
stirred the people from a peaceful submission to becoming the 
outlawed rebels of the empire. 

After this rebellion another attempt was made by the 
Church of Rome to pacify the provinces of Germany and 
establish mutual relations between them and the Pope. The 



144 Christian Persecutions. 

Second Diet of Spires was called to discuss the matter, and 
to seek an understanding, if possible. This body issued an 
order to all Catholics, and to all the people, not to promote 
the spread of these new doctrines until there had been a thor- 
ough examination of the various forms and principles of wor- 
ship and a decision made in regard to them. But the revolt 
of seven of the German princes and a large number of cities 
in the empire was the final downfall of the direct influence of 
the Roman Church in these provinces. Those in opposition 
to the edict of the Second Diet of Spires issued a formal 
protest against the action of the Diet, and because of this 
protest, the reformers were called from this time on, by the 
name of Protestants. 

The great revolt against the Church of Rome seemed to 
have almost circled the world. Nearly all of Europe, except 
Spain and Italy, had denounced the Catholic Church, and 
even in these countries it was strongly assailed with these 
new dogmas of Reformation, and but for causes arising which 
checked the advance of Protestantism, the revolt from Rome 
would have become universal, and the old ecclesiastical empire 
would have been broken up. But this was not to be the 
destiny of the Church. Its mission on earth had not been 
filled, and again it seems as though God stayed the hand of 
Reformation and turned the tide of revolt from a triumphant 
victory to one of dissensions and counter-reform. These 
causes may be considered as: Divisions among the Protest- 
ants, Catholic counter-reform, and the rise of the Order of the 
Jesuits. The divisions among the Protestants have already 
been mentioned. The Catholic Counter-R'eiforrn was the 



Martin Luther. 145 

active working- of Catholics in places where the Protestants 
were being- broken up by rival sects, and their faith in Refor- 
mation shaken. Such Protestants were urged to return to 
the original Church of their faith, with assurances that the 
Church of Rome was meeting the wants of the people by 
establishing new features of government between the Church 
and the State. Also, that the doctrines of its faith were so 
clearly expressed that all could understand. These assur- 
ances won many who were really at sea as regards their 
religious worship. They desired some excuse for returning. 
As the Reformers themselves were seeking to undermine 
each other, it was easy to resist their influence and return 
to the Catholic faith. 

The Order of Jesuits, or Society of Jesus, was a most 
powerful agent in assisting in the re-establishment of the 
authority of the Pope. The founder of this society was St. 
Ignatius Loyola, a native of Spain, who conceived the idea 
of organizing a society for the purpose of defending the Cath- 
olic Church in all the kingdoms of Europe, where Protestant 
influence had become a powerful factor, and threatened to 
overthrow, not only the religious creed, but its power of 
State government. This Society of Jesus established branch 
societies everywhere, and by its powerful influence, energy, 
and devotion, it quietly and secretly counteracted the zeal and 
activity of the reformers. They soon became thoroughly 
organized, and not a movement of Protestant opposition was 
made, but the whole line of Catholic sentinels was posted and 
efforts made to defeat them. They became thoroughly dis- 
ciplined in their mission, were ever watchful, and a constant 



146 Christian Persecutions. 

and uncompromising foe to the enemies of the Church. Not 
only were they sentinels and watchdogs of Europe, but they 
organized a system of missions in other countries. They 
saw the necessity of constant work at home and abroad, and in 
their zeal and fidelity to their Christian worship, they spread 
Christianity in all the countries of India, Japan, the islands 
of the oceans, and finally traversed the great continent of 
America. To these earnest patriots of Catholic faith may be 
traced much of the reaction which soon followed to the great 
benefit of the present Roman Catholic Church. 

At the time of the organization of the Jesuits, Protestant 
influence was dominant in the countries of Germany, Den- 
mark, Norway, Sweden, England, Scotland, and large por- 
tions of Switzerland and the Netherlands, while the Church 
of Rome held only the countries of France, Spain, Italy, and 
Ireland. The dissensions of the now numerous sects of 
Protestants, the Catholic Counter-Reform, the Order of 
Jesuits, and the enforcement of the laws against heresy, com- 
bined to hold the countries of France, Spain, Italy and Ire- 
land, while in all the other countries of the world it com- 
menced a new organization, stronger, more perfect in dis- 
cipline, more faithful in precepts, and more enduring. It had 
been a great lesson to the Church, and henceforth it would 
work, not by the power of princes and nobles, but by the 
Word of God, the power of Christ, and the purity of the 
Virgin Mary. It was a lesson dearly bought, but one made 
necessary to purify the Church, to expand the gospel, and to 
teach Christian worship beyond the confines of Europe. God 
had commanded that His Word should be preached in all the 



Martin Luther. 147 

countries of the earth. The Church had established itself in 
Europe. It had become powerful in the government of king- 
doms, empires, and principalities, and! in its magnificent 
greatness had left the great pagan world to its own idolatry. 
The lessons of self-denial must be taught anew; the Cruci- 
fixion of Christ must become nearer and dearer; the virtue of 
true worship must be better appreciated; the zeal, fidelity, and 
endurance of true loyalty must be tested, and a new light in 
the service of God must brighten the earth. These were 
lessons that must be observed in the great expansion of 
Truth. They were the lessons of Christ as he taught the 
multitudes in his earthly life. They were the lessons taught 
by the Apostle Peter in the great persecution of Rome, and 
they are the lessons of to-day, which only grow brighter 
and brighter as Christian enlightenment encircles the globe. 

Among the most worthy Jesuits who taught Christianity 
in foreign lands was the distinguished Francis Xavier, known 
as the Apostle of the Indies. His labors in India, Japan, 
and other, countries of the East, were marked by the wonder- 
ful success of his missions. His earnest work developed a 
Christian influence that can never die. He established the 
Gospel of worship where the light of Christianity was never 
seen before. The name of Francis Xavier has ever been 
revered for his patient endurance, his earnest and never- 
complaining labor, and his faithful observance of Christian 
duties. He became known throughout India, as a man of 
truth and love, a man of sympathy and tenderness, a man 
of holy purity, a man whose life was devoted to the Christian 
advancement of his fellow creatures. 



148 Christian Persecutions. 

Francis Xavier was not alone in the work of spreading 
the gospel of Christ. Volumes could be written of the cheerful 
sacrifice of life and the unstinted application of ability of hun- 
dreds of holy men, who have braved the dangers of exploration 
and the dangers of savage warfare. In the early days of 
America they taught the savage tribes of New England, of 
the Great Mississippi Valley, on the Pacific Coast, and in the 
home of the Montezumas. In history these names are credited 
with opening the way of civilization, of preparing the gates 
of immigration, and soothing the hatred of Indian discontent. 
Among these men we find the ever-to-be-remembered names 
of Father Hennipin, La Salle, Joliet, and Marquette. These 
men were missionaries and explorers of the Northern Lakes, 
and the Mississippi Valley. They founded many missions 
among the Indians and opened trade for the benefit of the 
world. 

But we will return to the Church of Rome. This separa- 
tion^ this Reformation, was a tearing down of the relations 
between Church and State. It was a transfer of the making of 
ecclesiastical laws to the States themselves, and in the re- 
establishment of true worship the Church sought only to 
spiritually improve the mind, to teach obedience to God's 
Laws, and sustain purity, truth, and devotion. The loss of 
temporal power in no wise crushed the power and glory of 
the Church, which is coeval with the beginning of Christian- 
ity, and will be sustained until the end of time. 

The greatest compliment which has ever been bestowed 
upon the Church was by Macaulay, the great English his- 
torian, when, in discussing the loss of temporal power, he 



Martin Luther. 149 

says: ''The Papacy still remains, not a mere antique, but 
full of life and youthful vigor. The Pope is to-day the 
supreme Head of a Church that was great and respected 
before Saxon had set foot on Britain, before the Frank had 
passed the Rhine, when Grecian eloquence still flourished in 
Antioch, when idols were still worshiped in the temple of 
Mecca. And she may still exist in undiminished vigor when 
some traveler from Xew Zealand shall, in the midst of a vast 
solitude, take his stand on a broken arch of London Bridge to 
sketch the ruins of St. Paul's." 

Wharf: a tribute to the glory and endurance of the Church 
of St. Peter. He sees its existence when empires and nations 
have passed away; when the workshop of life is lost in unbro- 
ken silence; when the marts of commerce and trade are stilled 
in the wilderness of desolation; when art and science are for- 
gotten; when a vast solitude sweeps the proud shores of Old 
England; when the grand structure of St. Paul shall have 
mouldered into ruins; and even then she will exist in un- 
diminished wisdom and vigor, until man has gone to his long 
sleep, and time shall be no more. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

JOHN CALVIN. ULRIC ZWINGLI. 

/~\UTSIDE of Martin Luther and Henry VIII, John Cal- 
^^ vin was the most noted character in the days of the 
Reformation. The nature of John Calvin was aristocratic, 
rather than democratic. He taught reform in laws as well as 
religion, but in practice governed with absolute despotism. 
He was dictatorial, demanding the observance of his views, 
and harsh in the denunciation of opposition. He obstinately 
adhered to his own opinions, but did not hesitate to modify 
them if by so doing he could gain advantage. He introduced 
the gospel of his faith by despotism, not by conversion. To 
disobey meant punishment. Civil officers were instructed to 
suppress every Catholic manifestation, and to destroy every 
"unnecessary" practice of faith. He was violently opposed 
to the observance of abstinence from eating meat on Friday, 
and appointed detectives to go among the people and report 
their observation. A peasant who did not eat meat on Friday 
was arrested for the violation of law and cast into prison. 
The views of Calvin towards Catholics was one of malicious 
hatred. He declared that all Catholic kings, princes, rulers, 
and those engaged in government and teaching were the 
enemies of God, and should be removed. Like Luther, he 
could see only his own theology, and while Luther denounced 
him as a heretic, yet Calvin pitied him for his ignorance. 
His language was often abusive, and he was filled with deep 

150 



John Calvin. Ulric Zwingli. 151 

contempt, with harshness, and bitterness. He was an im- 
placable enemy of the Catholic Church and constantly sought 
to denounce the Pope. In France he was driven from place 
to place because of his insolence to Church authority, and 
his rabid utterances finally compelled him to leave his native 
State to avoid arrest and punishment. 

John Calvin was born in Noyon, France, July 10, 1509, 
He became an early advocate of Reformation, and was so 
intemperate in his assaults against Catholics that he was 
obliged to leave the country. In 1535 he went to Switzerland, 
where he prepared a new code of worship. Like Martin 
Luther, he had been a priest and studied theology, and in the 
zeal for furthering his own philosophy he founded the Cal- 
vinistic doctrine of faith. At Ferrara he taught the Duchess 
Renata, who became an ardent advocate of Calvin and ren- 
dered much assistance in the spreading of his teachings. 

Before continuing with the history of John Calvin, we will 
return to the political and religious history of Switzerland at 
the time he first appears upon the stage of action. Switzer- 
land was being aroused by other would-be reformers and 
Calvin found a fertile soil in which to sow his seeds of refor- 
mation. Previous to the appearance of John Calvin and 
Ulric Zwingli the people of Switzerland were strongly Cath- 
olic, but by the exhortations of Zwingli this new sect, called 
Zwinglianism, had obtained a foothold in several cantons 
and was made the law of these commonwealths. The pro- 
posed creed was new to the people, somewhat novel in its 
departure, and pleasing in its promises of universal faith. 
It declared the Catholic religion an unnecessarv burden, and 



152 Christian Persecutions. 

a power over civil authority which should be abolished. The 
followers of Zwingli were shrewd in their management, and 
sought to please through the advancement of that most likely 
to give satisfaction. It could picture defects and at the same 
time show by exhortation that the "true gospel'' was the 
gospel of Reformation. 

ULRIC ZWINGLI. 

In 1518 the story of Mlartin Luther's open hostility to the 
Catholic Church by attaching his famous ninety-five theses 
to the church door of Wittenberg, reached Switzerland, and 
Zwingli, who had been studying theology, immediately saw 
an opportunity to attract attention by advocating a special 
reform of his invention. He was ambitious, active, and ener- 
getic in his proposed line of action. He saw his opportunity 
and deliberately^ prepared his translation of faith and advo- 
cated the establishment of a new creed. Being a man of 
wonderful power of expression, in both written and spoken 
language, he deftly prepared a doctrine of worship after the 
general principles of Martin Luther, but differing in some 
minor matters. 

Having prepared his innovations, he proceeded to intro- 
duce them in the great church of Zurich, where he had al- 
ready become famous for his great learning and ability. This 
new reformation, coming from the source it did, was received 
with marked attention, and although the people were some- 
what skeptical as to Zwingli being a proper person to present 
a new religion, on account of the character of his private 
life, yet they listened with interest, and when, in 1519, Bern- 



Ulric Zwingli. 153 

hardin Sampson appeared and publicly preached indulgences, 
he attacked the Franciscan priest with all the power of his 
eloquence, denouncing the practice as beneath Church rights 
and its relation to humanity. He denounced the doctrine as 
unchristian and unholy. His powerful protests were received 
with favor among the authorities, and in 1520 the Great Coun- 
cil of Zurich became so enamored with his doctrine that they 
issued a decree demanding that all the priests of the canton 
should preach only such doctrine as they could prove by the 
Bible. Zwingli had said the principal tenets of the Catholic 
Church were not founded on the Bible, and now, to be safe 
m their instructions, the authorities demanded an exposition 
of faith only in accordance with what could be proved by the 
Holy Scriptures. They were not positive that Zwingli was 
correct and the Catholic religion wrong, but if they were 
confined to the Word of God there could be no mistake. They 
believed in the exhortation of this reformer, but would leave 
themselves on a sure footing by demanding a proof through 
the words of the Bible. 

Bishop Constance sought to oppose this heresy, but was 
met with determined resistance, and his efforts were in vain. 
The doctrine was something new and unique, and being freed 
from moneyed exactions the people were attracted by its 
seeming popularity, and preferred its easy disposition of 
Church regulations. It demanded less Church restrictions and 
more freedom of action. It was to be more the government 
of each individual than the obedience to a powerful head. 
It was strict in the observance of the Sabbath, but not in the 
exactions of the Church. It placed the code of government 
(ii) 



154 Christian Persecutions. 

as a law of each community, and when this was fulfilled there 
was no other obligation to meet. 

In 1522, Zwingli, who had disgraced his private life, 
demanded that the bishop and those in authority should per- 
mit the clergy to marry. He saw that his teachings of morals 
were not in accordance with his known conduct, and to cover 
his sins he demanded the right of marriage for the priests. 

On January 23, 1523, Pope Adrian VI wrote a very kind 
and affectionate letter to Zwingli admonishing him of his 
evil conduct, and earnestly beseeched him to renounce his 
public utterances, and become an honest, upright, and obe- 
dient priest. He pointed out the errors of his ways, his life 
of moral dissipation, and his disobedience of God's laws and 
the principles of the Church. The letter was one of advice 
and entreaty. The Pope was considerate in his denunciation 
of wrong, his explanation of errors, and his appeal to Chris- 
tian virtue. He understood the fiery nature of this priest 
reformer and sought to subdue his ambition by a personal 
appeal to his manhood, his vows, and his duty to the Church 
and obedience to those who were in authority. But alas! the 
kindness of the Pope was bestowed upon a stubborn and 
unappreciative mind. 

The letter was received with ill-favor. Zwingli exhibited 
extreme folly in denouncing the entreaty in harsh and abusive 
language. The Pope had sought, through the mildest means 
possible, to convince him of his unjust denunciation, and as 
man should treat man, he was entitled to decent respect. 
Instead of creating thought and consideration, the disobedient 
priest was more determined than ever to denounce the Pope 



Ulric Zwingli. 155 

and expand his own theology. His theories of religion must 
not be questioned, even by the Church, against which he 
threw this venomous declarations. It was no longer, Am I 
right? but, How can I overthrow the power of the Pope and 
establish my creed? 

On January 29, 1523, a conference was held in Zurich to 
consider the differences existing between the Pope and 
Zwingli, which now had become a positive open revolt. This 
conference must decide between these contending forces. At 
this meeting Zwingli presented his sixty-five theses in defense 
of his position and demanded a careful analysis of them. 
These theses were so complicated the conference was unable 
to thoroughly understand them, and while he was convicted 
of error in openly opposing, or rebelling against the Pope, 
yet the conference did not declare him wrong in his declara- 
tions of a proposed reformation. 

A second conference was called in October following, 
and although the friends of the Church worked hard to sub- 
due the advancement of Zwinglianism, yet this second council 
would not condemn. As a result of this decision the reformer 
became bolder in the denunciation of the Pope's authority, 
and more a'ggressive in the dissemination of his new doctrine. 
He advised his clerical adherents to disregard the established 
law of the Church in regard to celibacy and become married 
men, and he, himself, married Anna Reinhard, a widow, with 
whom he had for years been in sinful intercourse. 

The decision of the second conference was a great victory 
for Zwingli. He had openly defied the Pope of Rome. He 
had controlled the two councils, established a line of new 



156 Christian Persecutions. 

ideas of worship, created religious power for himself, enthused 
his followers, and to further his own selfish desires had dis- 
obeyed the laws of the Church and was now a married priest. 
Zwingli was now outside the Church. He had declared 
against every distinct feature of worship. He had denounced 
the observance of Friday, the benefits of confession, the 
practice of penance, the veneration of the Virgin Mary and, 
above all, the power of the Pope as the head of all the 
Churches of the Catholic faith. He would destroy the form 
of prayer, the blessing, the Holy Mass, the clerical raiment, 
the emblems of Christ and his crucifixion, the altar and 
incense, the celibacy of priests, the monasteries, and in strong 
terms denounced the Jesuits as an order of no Christian 
value, which should no longer be an incubus upon the body 
of the Church. 

It may seem strange that the authorities of Zurich should 
tolerate the professions of Zwingli against the Church, but 
when we consider that there were large possessions of 
Church lands, vast numbers of gold and silver vessels, and 
other valuable property, it is easy to see that through the 
mercenary motive of confiscation the commonwealth could 
retain those lands, and all other property, and thus obtain 
greater revenues for the benefits of the office holders, or 
those having charge of the government of the State. It was 
the same then as now. Money was the price of faith, the 
motive-power of the worship of God, and the instrument by 
which men weigh their honor, their happiness, and their im- 
mortal life. Revenues for benefits to the individual only, not 
revenue for the building of churches, chapels, and missions 



Ulric Zwingli. 157 

of God, but revenue for selfishness, for power, and for the 
splendor of court. It was this plea of Zwingli that won the 
council of Zurich. By the overthrow of the Church, and 
confiscation of its property, there would be an increase of 
revenue, and at the same time an individual worship not under 
control of a higher authority. These individual favors won 
for this new apostle of reform the protection he desired, and 
the religious power he sought to confer upon himself. 

The protestation made by the Bishop of Constance was 
not heeded, and no attention was paid to the assembly that 
met at Lucerne to denounce the action of the council of 
Zurich in confiscating Church property and allowing the 
spread of the reform heresy. By the influence of Zwingli the 
council issued a decree of religious persecution, by which the 
people were forbidden to recognize the Catholic worship in 
any of its forms. Not only had they confiscated the property 
of the Church but they would confiscate the conscience of 
their people. They would destroy their established modes of 
worship, the principles of their faith, and seek to establish a 
new decree. 

In 1525 this council forbade the sacrifice of the Mass, and 
ordered a destruction of all the Church emblems of worship. 
The altars, pictures, raiments, crucifixes, images, music, and 
other church property of this description was ordered 
destroyed, and in place Zwingli introduced his version of the 
Lord's Supper as a chief discipline of worship. The obser- 
vances of this new creed were cold and formal. There were 
no requirements of self-sacrifice or humiliation. Penance 
and confession were unnecessary humiliation and repentance, 



158 Christian Persecutions. 

and would be discarded. Observe the moral law and you have 
observed the laws of the new church. It was the worship 
of God according- to the dictates of conscience. You obey the 
edict of the commonwealth and you have fulfilled the require- 
ments of your confession, your faith and your obligations to 
God and man. 

So strong was the requirement that all should serve God 
in the participation of the Lord's Supper, that a severe penalty, 
or punishment, was meted out to all who refused to surrender 
their form of worship and accept the new. So imperative be- 
came the law or mandate that, in 1529, attendance at Mass 
was forbidden in Zurich and adjoining cantons. The people 
refused to surrender this great privilege of worship, and a 
constant persecution was enforced to deprive them of it. On 
absolutely refusing, they were imprisoned, fined, scourged, 
and in many ways were made to suffer the penalty of dis- 
obedience. In many instances it was but a repetition of the 
old barbaric line of treatment. Caesar was right and Caesar 
must be obeyed. Zwingli was the gospel of salvation, and by 
it all men must be saved. 

Zwingli was made master of the religious situation, and, 
like Martin Luther, sought to uphold Christian discipline by 
a formula of how to worship, what to denounce in the Church 
of Rome and in whom was delegated power to maintain this 
new religion. In his sixty-five theses he pictured the faults of 
the Pope and his Church, the inconsistency of its require- 
ments, and the "true gospel'' as discovered by his study of 
philosophy and theology. 

At Basle the same spirit of intolerance found free expres- 



Ulric Zwingli. 159 

sion, although at first it was opposed by the authorities, but 
in 1527 Zwinglianism overcame all opposition, and, as in 
Zurich, its Great Council excluded Catholics from member- 
ship, broke in their churches, destroyed their evidences of 
worship, and forced the people to become followers of their 
faith. It w T as the work of a religious despot. It was tolera- 
tion only as it obeyed their mandates. The new gospel of 
Christ should be applied to all men without regard to favor, 
feeling, or conscience. It had denied the Pope and his 
Church, and in this denial all must unite in praising God for 
its overthrow. 

This heresy was preached at various other places and was 
victorious over the established Church of Rome. In Berne 
the Great Council gave resistance, but in so feeble a manner 
that the followers of Zwingli became doubly aggressive and 
demanded the adoption of their reform. In 1528 a religious 
conference was called to decide what should be done with 
this heresy. By the action of several apostate priests the new 
religion was adopted, and immediately there was begun a 
persecution against the rights of Catholics to worship accord- 
ing to their faith. The whole canton of Berne was declared 
in favor of Zwingli, and toleration was no longer acknowl- 
edged by that government. 

The defeat of the Pope and the Church was a sad thing 
for them. They were robbed of that God-given right to wor- 
ship according to the dictates of conscience. But here no 
conscience was allowed. It was an imperative mandate. The 
new religion was to be enforced without regard to its origin, 
the character of the founder, or the divine authoritv of its 



160 Christian Persecutions. 

establishment. The philosophy of Zwingli must be enforced, 
the Pope denied, and the Church of Rome scandalized, villi- 
fied, condemned, and made to suffer the most degrading per- 
secutions that force could invent. Not only were their 
churches desecrated by the hand of the vandal, but all forms 
of Christ's crucifixion, his Blessed Mother, the holy vessels, 
the remembrances of the Apostle Peter, and all features that 
gladden the heart of the true Catholic were spit upon, trampled 
upon, destroyed or confiscated in the mad desire to rid the 
canton of all things that represented the faith of the Church 
of Rome. Not content with* the destruction of church em- 
bellishments and the sanctity of the altar, they would, in many 
instances, burn the churches, imprison the priests and terror- 
ize the people. Fathers and mothers were threatened with 
imprisonment, their property confiscated, their lands deeded 
to new adherents, and in many instances publicly scourged for 
failing to comply with the new force. Where they were stub- 
born and refused to comply with the demand, their children 
were taken from them and placed under influences which 
would mold the new belief as the true religion into their hearts 
and minds. 

While the people were not massacred, as in the days of 
Nero, or the French Reign of Terror, yet the methods were 
almost as brutal in their compulsion, in their despotic denun- 
ciation of free worship, and in their encroachment upon 
every right of the people. It was the re-habilitation of every 
feature of the persecution of early Christianity except the 
penalty of death. Its encroachments upon other cantons 
caused a furious war to ensue. It was a war resulting from 



Uleic Zwingli. 161 

the fiery exhortations of Zwingli to prostitute the whole Cath- 
olic Church in Switzerland. Not content with his reformation 
in the cantons where he had obtained authority, he must 
dominate over all the Churches, and wipe out what he called 
a stench upon the religion of the world. 

The war raged with the desperation of uncontrolled fury. 
On the one side was the aggression of this new religious force. 
It was wild with fanatic persecution. It had become a relig- 
ious craze in which all men were wrong except themselves. 
They were the true apostles of faith, and the great salvation 
of God must be accepted by force, if not by willingness of 
heart. There could be no question, no remonstrance, no devia- 
tion from the law laid down. By Zwingli they had found the 
right and all men must be saved whether they wanted to be 
or not. On the other side were the devout Catholics, earnest 
in their faith, true to the teachings of their Church and deter- 
mined in the defense of their rights. They had borne this 
persecution until its hardships were beyond endurance. They 
had suffered the destruction of their churches, their altars, 
pictures and relics. They had seen the images of Christ and 
the Blessed Virgin Mary torn down and blasphemed against. 
They had seen all that was most near and dear to the Catholic 
heart ruthlessly destroyed, or defiled, by the hand of the 
religious assassin, and now they were ready to lay down their 
lives rather than longer submit to the desecration of their 
family worship. It had reached the last point of endurance, 
the die was cast, the further encroachment of religious intoler- 
ance must cease, or they die in battle as martyrs to their con- 
victions of right. 



162 Christian Persecutions. 

In this struggle the cause of Zwingli was unsuccessful in 
forcing his faith beyond the provinces he then controlled. 
Zwingli, himself, was slain, and in the peace which followed 
there was greater moderation in the enforcement of hateful 
forms of worship. The battle of Cappel, on October 11, 1531, 
will ever be remembered by Catholics as a grand victory over 
the encroachments of this new Protestant Reformation. It 
was instituted by the ambition of a restless and impetuous 
apostate priest — a priest of low moral character, who, to cover 
his sins, sought to invent excuses, by parading as a great 
humanitarian. He would excite the ambition of others to 
villify the Catholic Church, to destroy the power of the Pope, 
and to make himself powerful in the establishment of a pro- 
posed reform. His death was the downfall of oppression and 
further persecution by his followers. 

JOHN CALVIN. 

After the battle of Cappel the Canton of Berne sought to 
influence the city of Geneva to adopt this new faith, not so 
much from a religious standpoint as from a political one. 
These provinces were allied politically and now Berne sought 
to make closer the relations by adopting the same religion. 
The Council of Geneva finally yielded to the entreaties of 
Berne and the Catholic religion was formally renounced and 
Zwinglianism was declared the religion of this rich and power- 
ful city. The Council now permitted a desecration of all Cath- 
olic Churches, and, as in the other cantons, all articles of 
faith and worship were destroyed, and the people forced to 
bow to the hand of the vandal. It was but a repetition of 



John Calvin 163 

what has been described in Zurich, Berne, and other Catholic 
places. The emblems of faith, such as altars, relics, paintings, 
sculptured images, holy vessels, and all articles of Christian 
worth were destroyed, and the power of the Council made 
supreme. It was a declaration of intolerance, or persecution, 
and to protest was imprisonment, punishment, confiscation 
and ruin. Ministers were accompanied by armed troops to 
forcibly take possession of churches, rid them of emblems, and 
force the people to attend worship against the dictates of their 
own conscience. Every opposition made by the people and 
priests was suppressed by the power of the troops. To refuse 
to obey was to sleep in a dungeon, to suffer the spoliation of 
property, to be exiled from family and friends, and to bear the 
indignities of a cruel persecution. 

We may sometimes think ill of those honest people who 
submitted to the destruction of their religion and mode of 
worship, but when we consider their position, their long con- 
tinuance in obedience, and their lack of education, we cannot 
blame them too severely, for who of you, dear readers, could 
stand this force of law and government? Consider, then, these 
perseeutionis, and see an armed force enter your church, 
destroy your emblems of worship, cast you into prison for 
disobedience, threaten the removal of your children, the con- 
fiscation of your property, and at the same time know their 
ability and disposition to carry out their edicts, and you would 
not be human if you did not protect your home, your family, 
and yourself. It is but human nature to defend loved ones, 
home, and its sacred influences. Few could resist the demands 
of this force, and no one should be condemned for seeking 



164 Christian Persecutions. 

his personal protection. It was not the same condition that 
surrounded the Christians at the time of Nero. Then the 
Church was seeking its foundation, its basis of endurance, and 
its rock of salvation. It was the establishment of Christ's 
Church by the Apostle Peter. It was a time when to falter 
meant everlasting- defeat. It meant that the pagan world was 
lost to human agency. It must be the sacrifice of liberty, of 
all things earthly, and of life. It was to prove that the crucifix 
was stronger in God's hands than was persecution in the 
hands of murderers and assassins. It was the order of God 
that men should lay down their lives that Christ might be 
glorified. It was to prove to the pagan rulers that Christ 
could not be dethroned, nor faith in him shaken by crucifixion. 
At the time of John Calvin and Ulric Zwingli it was not a 
question of Christ, but how best to serve him. These reform- 
ers had no fight with the Catholic Church as to the divinity of 
Christ, or the future existence of man. It was the faith, the 
creed, the church. It was whether the Pope should be at the 
head of all Christendom, or whether the worship of God 
should be at the will of any one who should choose a new 
theology. They preached salvation through Christ crucified, 
and through their version of a "true gospel" and a true relig- 
ion, while the people protesting against the forms of reforma- 
tion were submissive, because they were still allowed to wor- 
ship their Savior and venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary. Had 
they been compelled to worship idolatry these reformers could 
never have gained control over them. The people were made 
to believe that the Church of Rome had degenerated from the 
true religion, and being powerful in exhortation, they obtained 
ready concessions from many of their followers. 



John Calvin. 165 

One of the effects of this new innovation was to destroy 
discipline, destroy the observance of religious government, the 
true character of faith, and the careful consideration of sin. 
It had destroyed Penance and Confession, and in its place 
had grown up the weeds of a licentious disposition. Nature 
had not been curbed and the evil influences of a lustful nature 
were destroying the groundwork of purity, the reverence of 
truth, and the protecting influence of the teachings of the 
Church. These elements of man's nature being freed from the 
restraint of the Church, grew stronger and stronger, and more 
dangerous to the morals of the people, until it became the 
ruling passion of society. The leaders sought in vain to stay 
the tide of immorality, but were powerless to check its way. 
Catholic restraint was gone, and with its absence the vile 
passions of men became uncontrollable, dangerous to govern- 
ment and dangerous to the welfare of society, of religion, 
and of order. 

At this critical point of the Reformation of Ulric Zwingli, 
John Calvin entered Geneva with his doctrine of worship, his 
new power of expression, and his new version of the Gospel 
of Repentance. The people became interested in this new 
leader, were easily seduced from following Zwingli, and ac- 
cepted the faith as now laid down by John Calvin. 

Soon after the arrival of Calvin in Geneva he married the 
widow of an Anabaptist of Strasburg. In 1541 he was given 
almost absolute control over the ecclesiastical government. 
His worship was cold and formal, consisting in special prayers, 
psalm-singing, catechetical instructions and sermons. All 
ornaments, raiments, images, or pictures were removed from 



166 Christian Persecutions. 

the church. The finery of dress was considered sinful, and 
mirth must be subdued, as this was one of the great agencies 
of the devil. 

Calvin saw the benefits of confession and desired to intro- 
duce it into his service, but owing- to the Zwinglian influence 
he adopted open confession during church services. This con- 
fession was only the admission that the individual had received 
Christ in his heart, and desired to stand upon the faith of this 
new creed. It was not the admission of any particular sin, but 
a declaration of repentance, and the desire that God will 
forgive. 

For the maintenance of moral discipline, a church tribunal 
was established to keep watch over individuals, or families, 
and ascertain if they were proper in conduct, and were regular 
attendants at church worship. This tribunal was composed of 
preachers and laymen, and was allowed to encroach upon the 
sacred rights of the home. They were allowed to listen at the 
keyhole, to enter as spies, or in any way whatever to obtain 
the secrets of the household. It was a most infamous inquisi- 
torial machine. They had, not only the right to enter the 
house at any hour, but were empowered to question the in- 
dividuals, ask for evidence, and if in their judgment they were 
guilty of misconduct, to declare a punishment. The most 
stringent measures were adopted to enforce the rules of the 
Church and the ordinances of the city. Some of the most 
innocent pleasures were denied, as the somber faces of the 
leaders could scarcely permit anything that would provoke 
mirth or jollification. Even family festivals were forbidden, 
and to dance was an abomination unto the Lord. 



John Calvin. 167 

The old residents were unwilling to submit to these re- 
strictions upon their innocent pleasures. They were not raised 
with apparent sadness and sorrow in their faces. Theirs had 
been a life of pleasant recollections, and pleasant expectations 
for the future, and now to wrinkle the forehead in deep medita- 
tion, and to frown and scowl at every feature of worldly pleas- 
ure, was too much for their forbearance, but to rebel meant 
punishment, and in many instances execution. Civil officers 
received strict orders to suppress every Catholic demonstra- 
tion. If a Catholic refused to obey the mandaJtes of this new 
religious law he was punished according to the enormity of the 
proclaimed sin. If he refused to eat meat on Friday it meant 
imprisonment until his public confession declared this sacri- 
fice as an unworthy observance, and should be abolished. The 
authority of Calvin was most despotic, and his inhuman sever- 
ity in the enforcement of his religious laws was degrading, 
offensive, and intolerant. His abuse of all things Catholic 
was but the natural overflow of his unconcealed hatred. He 
was devoid of conscience in the execution of penalties, and 
for Catholic human life there was no justice, shame, or re- 
morse. To be a Catholic was to be an enemy of God, and as 
God was the great central figure of worship, there must be no 
opposition to his appointed time, place, and manner. 

It is from John Calvin, we find, that the strict and extreme- 
ly orthodox Covenanters of Scotland, and the Puritans of New 
England descend. These people have ever been the closest 
disciples of a stern and unforgiving religion. They seem to 
inherit the enmity of all things Catholic, and are opposed, in 
a great measure, to all things not strictly in conformity with 
their belief of life and its eternity. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

SUMMARY OF THE REFORMATION. 

TN the preceding chapter we have given a short account of 
*■ the Lutheran Reformation, its causes, results, and effects. 
The history of Martin Luther is one of remarkable record. 
He was brilliant in thought and ingenuity, powerful in presen- 
tation, and cool and adroit in plans and execution. Few men 
have lived who could mold public sentiment with such power 
of fascination. Like Napoleon Bonaparte, he was the master 
of all situations and at all times. His power of eloquence was 
equaled only by the mesmeric influence of his presence. These 
powers won for him admiration of character, fervent devotion 
to principle, and profound veneration for his understanding. 
The early purity of his life, and his love and obedience to the 
Pope, stands in strong contrast to his future hate, malice, and 
persecution. 

In the study of theology his mind conspired at conclusions, 
wrought out new inventions of ideas, and arranged them for 
the benefits of adoption. At first these thoughts were in wild 
expansion, but by the force of concentration he evolved a new 
line of religious control, a new system of worship and a new 
doctrine of Divinity. Alone and unaided he stood before the 
Christian world defiant and aggressive. His friends were 
dumbfounded at his audacity, and the Pope laughed at his 
earnestness. As he had no enemies, there were none to revile, 
or to secretly seek to overthrow. His ninety-five theses were 

168 



Summary of the Keformation. 169 

circulated as a startling- announcement of something, they 
knew not what. It was like a flash of lightning- from a clear 
sky. They came unannounced and in their startling assertions 
were like the weird whisperings of a mighty storm. The 
Christian world was amazed, stupefied in astonishment, over- 
whelmed in consternation, and yet Martin Luther stood like a 
great gaunt specter rising higher and higher in the sublimity 
of his awful daring. And there on the brink of a fearful 
precipice he stood waiting the result of his proposed Refor- 
mation. 

Gradually he surrounded himself with a powerful force of 
friends and allies. The Pope grew serious and asked for an 
explanation of his remarkable conduct. Luther fell upon his 
knees and begged the Church to accept his doctrine, his 
theology, his invention. He would revolutionize all forms of 
worship. He would point out the straight and narrow way. 
He would lead a true repentance. He would be the mortal 
Messiah of the Church, the representative of Christ, and the 
true apostle of worship. All these he would bestow upon 
Christianity if the Church would but fall down and worship 
him. He appealed to the princes to overthrow the power of 
the Pope, to appropriate the revenues to their own use; to 
become independent, and more powerful in government. The 
Diets, when convened, condemned him as a heretic, but no 
one sought to enforce, the edict. The Pope Avas finally obliged 
to excommunicate him, although he left the door open for 
confession. They believed the passion of Luther would pass 
away and he would yet return to his mother's love. But the 
fiery zeal of uncontrolled force drove him further and further 

(12) 



170 Christian Persecutions. 

from the hearthstone of affection, from the power that endowed 
him with learning, the power that bestowed upon him position 
and fame, that ripened his manhood into the conscious power 
of strength, ability, and character. From this love, this affec- 
tion, this endowment, he turned with all the malignant desire 
of a depraved nature, and all because his theology, his philos- 
ophy was not adopted as the foundation of the future Church 
of Rome. 

From this revolt of Martin Luther originated the long line 
of Protestant doctrines of worship. When once a people are 
divided in opinions there will arise a Babel of voices clamoring 
for this or that, for consideration, for expansion, for rejection, 
for issues of every character which the ingenuity of man can 
invent. So frail is man in his own power of understanding, 
that any creed, no matter how ridiculous, how ungodly in 
character, or how foreign to the light of reason, if presented 
with eloquence and apparent faith, will find its followers, and 
in proportion to the energy used to advance this thought or 
theory, so will this new doctrine expand, multiply, and become 
the lav/ of men, states, and nations. 

It is Satan's scheme to first create discord, then division, 
then anarchy, then ruin. It is only by strength that progress, 
enlightenment, and Christianity moves this world of motion. 
Destroy strength and you destroy the whole fabric of purpose, 
of light, of endurance, and power. God ordained that law, 
order, and obedience must be the groundwork of happiness. 
Without law there can be no security of life, no guarantee of 
purpose, and no protection of rights. Without order we have 
chaos and ruin. Without obedience it is one realmi of mutiny, 



Summary of the Reformation. 171 

a storm-tossed ship without rudder or compass, a mob with- 
out leadership, an army without a general, and honesty with- 
out truth. 

The Catholic Church was established by the Apostle Peter, 
and in these two thousand years it has remained steadfast in 
its promotion of truth and Christianity. Nations have lived 
and died in the glory of achievements, and yet in all the varied 
changes of institutions, in all the expansion and contraction 
of governments, we find this Church at the beginning and 
at the end. It is the Alpha and Omega, the first to preach 
the gospel of Christ, the first to lay down their lives in sus- 
taining the true faith of God. And while they suffered death 
by ghastly brutal means, by fire and sword, by crucifixion, yet 
in all its persecution it grew brighter and brighter, its influence 
spread farther and farther, until the whole world seemed to 
yield to Christian power. 

Such is the history of the Catholic Church, and while 
paganism sought to persecute it out of existence, yet in the 
hands of God this persecution was but the means of perfecting 
its strength, its power, and its glory. And while Martin 
Luther sought to tear down its foundation of principles and 
build upon its fallen structure the story of Reformation, yet 
it passes through these years of assault, freed from the dross 
of indulgence, of conspiracy, and of jealous power. Not once 
in its long line of triumphs and adversity has the Church been 
made weaker in its defense, less devout in its teachings, or less 
dim in its splendor, but ever rises, purer in purpose, more 
stable in discipline, and more grand in the development of 
Christian love and forbearance. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR. 

A S has been mentioned in a preceding- chapter, this "Thirty 
** Years' War" was the last great comibat between Prot- 
estants and Catholics in Europe. It was the most disastrous 
conflict since the beginning of the Christian Era. History 
informs us that its effect upon Germany alone was beyond 
calculation, that it is impossible to give expression to its 
wretchedness, its devastation of cities, homes, and country. 
In 1618, the date of the commencement of this struggle, Ger- 
many had a population of 30,000,000; at its close, in 1648, it 
numbered less than 12,000,000. No one can comprehend this 
terrible destruction of life and property. Many of the most 
flourishing cities were almost completely destroyed, and com- 
merce, trade and industries ruined. The magnificent city of 
Berlin was reduced to a few hundred destitute and starving 
people. The duchy of Wurtemberg could scarcely number 
50,000 individuals, where before there flourished more than 
half a million. The ruins of the homes of peasants were on 
every hand — on all sides was despair and desolation. The 
country was literally a blackened waste of war's destruction. 
No enterprise, no trade, no commerce, nothing of the arts, 
sciences, or learning. Education was entirely neglected, ex- 
cept the education for war. Children were born and grew to 
manhood with the cry of Reformation on their lips, with 
the denunciation of all things Catholic in their hearts, and 

172 



The Thirty Years' War. 173 

with war as the only aim of life. It was the most barbaric age 
of German existence. Moral law was lost in the forgetful- 
ness of duty to mankind. Vice, nourished by the impure at- 
mosphere of constant camp life, had full sway; licentiousness 
ruled supreme. Cities that erstwhile had spread renown with 
their paintings and sculptures, now lay in ruins and neglect. 
"In character, in intelligence, and in morality, the German 
people were set back two hundred years." 

The followers of Martin Luther may declare that this 
awful calamity was the work of Catholics and of Catholic 
inception, but in this they are much mistaken. It was a con- 
flict almost directly traceable to Protestant revolt from the 
Roman Church, and we find that the spirit of conquest and 
political aspirations entered largely into it. But construe 
it as we may, it was the termination of the great religious re- 
volt, or Reformation, begun by Martin Luther, Ulric Zwingli, 
and John Calvin. While they may rejoice in the overthrow 
of Papal authority, yet their victory was gained only by an 
enormous sacrifice of blood and treasure. The desolation of 
the German empire; the 18,000,000 people lost in the conflict; 
the destruction of commerce; the decline of architecture, of 
learning and of science; the loss of character; the political dis- 
union; the vice, misery, and degradation incident to a war of 
this nature: all these must be added to the price of their 
victory. 

In 1608 the Protestants of Germany formed the Evan- 
gelical Union for the purpose of encroaching upon Catholic 
religious sovereignty, by extending their form of worship. 
In order to defend themselves against this encroachment the 



174 Christian Persecutions. 

Catholics, the following year, organized a confederation 
known as the Holy League. These two organizations at 
times became desperately hostile, and all Germany was being 
rapidly prepared for the fierce religious war that soon fol- 
lowed. 

The first cry of war was in Bohemia, where the Protest- 
ants rose in revolt against their Catholic king, Ferdinand. 
Having overthrown Ferdinand, they elected Frederick V, of 
the Palatinate, son-in-law of James I of England. The new 
Protestant king immediately expelled the Jesuits, commanded 
obedience to his decree of worship, and established the religion 
of Martin Luther throughout the province. The Bohemian 
king, Ferdinand, again obtained control of imperial affairs, 
however, and his followers elected him emperor and rallied 
to his support. As the Catholics were highly incensed at the 
Protestant king, Frederick, for his unjust conduct against the 
Jesuits, and the enforcement of his creed among the people, 
they made a desperate effort to regain their religious rights, 
and in this effort Ferdinand was successful. The revolt was 
quelled, the leaders of the insurrection executed, and the 
reformation in Bohemia came to an ignominious end. 

The success of Ferdinand created consternation among 
the Protestant German princes, and they appealed to the 
king of Denmark, Christian IV, to come to their assistance. 
The king, being supported by England and Holland, willingly 
entered the contest in behalf of the German Protestants, who 
were greatly encouraged by this new alliance. On the side 
of the Catholics were two noted leaders — Tilly, who com- 
manded the Holy League, and Wallenstein, who commanded 
the Imperial army. 



The Thirty Years' War. 175 

The struggle that followed was desperate in the extreme. 
The Protestants fought to overthrow the Church of Rome, 
and the Catholics to regain their confiscated property — 
churches, monasteries, and other ecclesiastical lands. On the 
one side it was to conquer Romanism and extend the Refor- 
mation; while on the other, it was to regain possession of 
what was lost. In this war Christian was defeated and, in 
1629, sued for peace and retired from the struggle. In this 
peace the Edict of Restitution restored to the Catholics of 
North Germany all the property confiscated by the Protest- 
ants, in violation of the terms agreed to at Augsburg in 1555. 

In this connection it may be well to mention the nature of 
this Augsburg treaty. It was a convention of the princes of 
the German states whereby it was agreed that every prince 
should decide the faith he and his people should follow, tak- 
ing his choice between the Catholic and Protestant religions, 
and when he had chosen his religion, that religion must re- 
main inviolate. As will be seen, the people were not consid- 
ered at all. If a prince decided to become a Protestant, his 
subjects must become followers of the same faith, whether so 
inclined or not. It was toleration to princes, but intoleration 
to the people. As the people were originally Catholic, it be- 
came a religious burden and a persecution. But, according 
to this agreement, each prince should have complete religious 
control, and no force should be resorted to, to add to or take 
from. It was an agreement binding each party to observe the 
religious rights of others. 

It was the violation of this treaty that was largely respon- 
sible for the declaration of war. The Protestants had con- 



176 Christian Persecutions. 

fiscated valuable property which, in the Peace of Liibeck, 
restored to the Catholics, through the Edict of Restitution, 
two archbishoprics, twelve bishoprics, many monasteries with 
their valuable possessions, chapels, churches, and other ecclesi- 
astical property. 

In 1630, Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, resolved to 
throw his influence towards the German forces, and strive to 
regain what Protestantism had lost. Accordingly, at the 
head of 16,000 Swedes, he entered Northern Germany, but 
the dispirited Germans were slow to renew the conflict, 
and Tilly captured and burned the city of Magdeburg, and 
slew 30,000 of the inhabitants. The Protestant princes imme 
diately upon this united their forces with the king of Sweden 
and, in 1631, at the celebrated battle of Leipsic, defeated Tilly 
with great loss. Later Tilly was again defeated and fatally 
wounded, thus giving Gustavus a decided victory. 

Wallenstein was now called to head the armies of the 
Holy League, and, through his great popularity, was soon 
in command of 40,000 determined men who, in 1632, attacked 
the Swedes on the field of Lutzen, in Saxony, and gave them 
battle. This conflict was one of the most stubborn and des- 
perate battles fought in the entire period of wars. The Swedes 
were victorious, but Gustavus was killed. Notwithstanding 
the Swedish king and commander was killed, the Swedes 
would not withdraw from the conflict, but continued to fight 
for the cause of Protestant Germany for several years there- 
after. 

And so the terrible desolation of war went on. Those 
who were engaged in the first years of the war, had now 



The Thirty Years' War. 177 

passed away, and new leaders, with new ideas of conquest, 
filled the ranks of those engaged in this greatest of religious 
struggles. It was not until 1643 that the first whisperings of 
peace were heard. The country was ruined, the cities depop- 
ulated, and yet with all this bloodshed', rapine, murder, and 
desolation, no one desired peace unless on terms advantageous 
to his side. Peace would be gladly welcomed, but it must be 
a Protestant or a Catholic peace. The division of territory 
must be made in such a manner as to be satisfactory to 
Sweden, Germany, France, and the Roman States, For five 
years there was constant discussion and negotiation, until at 
last the celebrated treaty of Westphalia was established and 
agreed to by the different European powers. 

The chief articles agreed to were divided into two divi- 
sions — territorial boundaries, and religious control. In the 
division of territory the Holy Roman empire was shorn of 
some of its possessions. Switzerland was declared no longer 
a subject of Rome, although in reality it had been independent 
for a long time. The United Netherlands was also declared 
independent, while France gathered in the cities of Metz, Toul, 
Verdun, and a large portion of Alsace and Lorraine. Sweden 
was given a long strip on the Baltic Sea from Northern Ger- 
many, and in Germany many changes were made in favor of 
the various princes. 

In the matter of religion, the Catholics, Lutherans, and 
Calvinists were placed on the same footing. The Protestants 
were to retain all the Church property in their possession in 
1624, and every prince was to dictate the religion of his people, 
and given the power to banish all who refused to acknowledge 



178 Christian Persecutions. 

the established creed, but such persons were to be allowed 
three years in which to emigrate. It was religious toleration 
for three years, but after that all failing to comply with the 
requirements must be expelled. 

Thus closed the most costly war in blood and treasure 
the world has ever seen. The strength of Germany had 
waned; it had become weak and dispirited. Her people had 
lost almost every sentiment of pride and hope. Her desola- 
tion was complete. Her population was decimated to less 
than one-half, her industries were ruined, her arts lost in the 
turmoil of war, and her advancement in Christianity almost 
entirely checked by the results of this most cruel and inhuman 
war. 

But at last we reach the end of the persecution. The 
Peace of Westphalia marks the end of the religious wars oc- 
casioned by the Reformation. A century and a third had 
almost passed since the first declaration of religious reform 
had been spoken. Martin Luther and John Calvin had long 
since gone to their final rest. 

The seeds of the Reformation had established the two 
great religious creeds, Lutheranism and Calvinism, but we 
can never compute the cost of their establishment. To locate 
the followers of these two creeds by nationality, we might 
include Germany, Norway and Sweden, Denmark, the Neth- 
erlands, and Switzerland, in the list of those most interested in 
the religion of Martin Luther, while the followers of John 
Calvin were the Huguenots of France, the Covenanters of 
Scotland, the Puritans of England, and the Pilgrim Fathers 
of the new world. 



The Thirty Years' War. 179 

At this period history closes the general religious wars, 
although many minor conflicts and persecutions have pre- 
vailed. The treaty of Westphalia is a prominent monument 
in the dividing line of two great periods of history. It marks 
the religious end of the Reformation and the beginning of 
the troubles of political revolution. Henceforth nations will 
not make religion a basis of war and desolation. It will be 
wars of government, and not of creed; conquest for the sake 
of territory, and not the form of worship. It will be a scramble 
for place and preferment. The gospel of Christ will be 
preached for the repentance of men, and not for their persecu- 
tion and crucifixion. And as we draw nearer and nearer to 
the close of the nineteenth century, we more fully appreciate 
the blessings of toleration, the true influences of Christianity, 
the true spirit of devotion, discipline and harmony. It is 
now no longer a conquest by force. The true faith of the 
Apostle Peter controls the mind, the heart, and conscience 
of men. It is no longer fire and sword, but the teachings 
of Christ, who, in the agonies of death, would forgive his 
enemies and in this forgiveness ask his Father in Heaven 
to also forgive "for they know not what they do." 

The advancement of the Catholic Church is fast outstrip- 
ping the Protestant faith. Its gospel has been translated and 
preached in every country of the earth. Its missions of peace 
have penetrated the dark interior of Asia and Africa. It is 
foremost in all the countries of South America, Mexico, and 
Central America. Its magnificent institutions are seen every- 
where in the United States and Canada. It is no longer per- 
secuted in England, Ireland, Germany, and Russia. The 



180 Christian Persecutions. 

great Church of England is becoming friendly, and many be- 
lieve in reuniting. The Greek Church of Russia is already 
considering a means of uniting these two great forces in one 
harmonious whole. The enemies of Rome no longer pro- 
claim the Church as dangerous to civilization, to progress, and 
to education. The Pope to-day stands as the greatest arbiter 
of peace in the whole realm of diplomacy. He knows that 
war and religion do not go hand in hand, that national con- 
flicts destroy the fruits of Christianity, divide nations, breed 
Atheism, and foster disobedience to God and His divine 
teachings. 



CHAPTER XYI. 

THE HUGUENOTS. 

WITHOUT studying the history of France during the 
period known as the Huguenot wars (1562-1629), we 
get a very wrong opinion of the two opposing forces — the 
Huguenots and the Catholics. From the radical standpoint of 
Protestant authority we find that the aggressors are the Cath- 
olics, and that the persecution of the Huguenots was the result 
of this aggression. As all wars are a series of persecutions, 
from one side or another, so we find in the history of 1562 to 
1629 a succession of conflicts, in which each side is at times 
successful and again is defeated. As defeat in those days 
meant persecution, we are assured that when the Protestant 
Huguenots were victorious it meant the persecution of Cath- 
olics, and when it was a Catholic victory, it meant the persecu- 
tion of Protestants. 

But when we study unbiased and unprejudiced history, we 
find in every feature of reformation a desire to extend, or force 
the Calvinistic doctrine into every society, every interest, and 
every government. It becomes a restless fire of encroachment 
— a desire to teach all men the same theology as discovered 
or conceived by them, and if people failed to receive it, to force 
a conflict and compel its observance. The Reformer's ex- 
hortation knew no bounds or limits. Its field of action was 
as broad as is the society of men. It begins by the study of 
philosophy, and ends only when it has conquered all, or is 

181 



182 Christian Persecutions.' 

forced to retreat by a victorious opposition. Its faith is the 
all-absorbing thought of action, and how to force its universal 
adoption is the study of its followers. Thus we find in the 
history of these French wars of religious persecutions, that 
Protestant enthusiasm is always the one to foment conflict, 
to beget hatred, and to inaugurate deep and terrible struggles, 
as the result of advancing new forms of worship, new duties 
to observe, and new principles of salvation. 

Reformation means revolution. It may be a revolution 
through expressions of argument, or through the force oi 
arms. It is opposition, and in opposition we have conflict; 
therefore, by a logical conclusion, we must recognize the fact 
that there can be no opposition, or persecution, until there 
is an aggression, and the parties have earned its opposition. 
The Huguenots were- a sect largely instituted by the creed 
formulated by John Calvin. He organized this force in 
France, and by his earnest appeals to throw off the Catholic 
authority he became an opposition, an object of contention 
and the foundation' for conflict. 

Before Martin Luther declared his ninety-five theses as 
the true theology of the Holy Scriptures, there were men 
in the University of Paris, and elsewhere in France, who 
were advocating a change in the established worship, much 
on the same basis as that advocated by Luther, and when 
the German movement became known, the land of France 
was soon filled with heretics, who were loudly demanding 
the overthrow of Catholic religious ideas and the establish- 
ment of their own. 

In no other country was the prospect for the spread of 



The Huguenots. 183 

Protestantism so good as in France. In a large measure, it 
became a political as well as a religious movement. Three 
things had hitherto influenced the religious feelings of the 
French people: the ancient Albigensian religion that opposed 
the Roman Church in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the 
Lutheran movement of Germany, and the Huguenot, or John 
Calvin's theology, that was now agitating France. But now 
a fourth influence comes into the actual conflict and is 
responsible for the long-continued struggle and its terrible 
persecutions. This new force was the adoption of this religious 
movement by many of the nobles and secular chiefs for the 
purpose of temporal power. These chiefs could see that in 
the rapid growth of church opposition there might be an 
opportunity of overthrowing the government of France and 
establishing independent kingdoms. In this new combina- 
tion we find Prince Anthony of Bourbon, king of Navarre, 
and Prince Louis of Conde, who were powerful in protect- 
ing the Huguenots from the laws that were decreed against 
heretics. It now became a conflict between contending royal 
forces, and not a direct religious revolt. These Bourbon 
princei were next in line as heirs to the throne of France, 
and encouraged the Huguenots to form a conspiracy, seize 
the person of the king, and place the reins of government into 
their Uands, but in this they were defeated, as the plot was 
discovered and the leader, La Renaudie, was captured and 
put to death, while the real conspirator, Prince Conde, escaped 
conviction. 

From this time on a terrible conflict was waged — defensory 
on one side and exterminatory on the other. In 1560 an edict 



184 Christian Persecutions. 

was issued, giving the right to bishops to inquire into heresy 
and if they found rebellious or tumultuous assemblies of 
Huguenots who, in their opinion, were creating a disturbance 
against the Church, they could use their secular power and 
demand immediate dispersion of the gathering, never to meet 
again. What is known in history as the "massacre of Vassy" 
was the result of the enforcement of this authority, and is 
related as follows: The Duke of Guise, one of the strongest 
adherents of the king and the Roman Church, while passing 
through the country with a body of armed attendants, came 
to a place called Vassy, where they found a company of 
Huguenots assembled in a barn for worship. The Duke in- 
quired the objects of this assemblage, and being answered 
somewhat evasively, became insulting, and in his anger he 
attempted to exercise his authority and demanded that the 
assembly should disperse, which, not being complied with, 
he ordered his attendants to make an attack, which resulted 
in the killing of forty and the wounding of many more. 

The Huguenots now rose throughout all France in open 
revolt. They were led by Admiral Coligny and the Prince of 
Conde and the civil wars that followed displayed a ferocity 
of disposition that was more befitting pagans than Christians. 
It was a series of assassinations, massacres and butcheries. 
It was not a Christianized conflict of forces, but the lamentable 
disposition of barbaric revenge. Families were murdered in 
cold blood, villages were sacked and burned, cities were 
captured, and multitudes slain. It was a war of extermination, 
and not conquest. Men acted like wild beasts, and could not be 
sated with blood. The insane passion of destruction, ruin and 



The Huguenots. 185 

bloodshed marked the career of these contending forces. To 
be a Huguenot, was to be an outlaw against the nation. To 
be a Catholic, was to be a foe to toleration and Christianity. 
It was a deadly hatred in which there was no conquest except 
the conquest of death, no forgiveness, no compromise, no 
yielding to the dictates of reason. It was the outpouring of 
hell's revolution. Christ and Christianity were lost in this 
whirlpool of fiendish desperation. The Church of God was 
trampled beneath the feet of bloodthirsty vandals. 

It should be borne in mind, however, that not all this ter- 
rible carnage was the result of religious contention, but was 
instigated by the political ambitions of men. The Huguenots 
were used as a cat's-paw to stir up insurrections, to incite 
religious animosities, to precipitate civil war, and to be the 
means of placing the arch leaders in power. These ambitious 
princes cared nothing for religion. In heart they were neither 
Catholic nor Protestant. They cared nothing for the dis- 
tinction of creed. They professed the Huguenot faith in 
order to use them in the overthrow of the government and 
in establishing their own power. They sought the blackest 
warfare to intensify the undying hatred of those who suf- 
fered from the persecutions of others. 

As we follow this terrible period of successive wars, we 
find that sieges, battles, and truces follow each other in 
rapid rotation, while conspiracies, treacheries, plots, and as- 
sassinations form one long line of deeds disgraceful to Chris- 
tian civilization. Well may it be called the period of treach- 
eries. No house was free from the dreadful expectation of 
losing a member by the knife of the murderer. If he was a 

(13) 



186 Christian Persecutions. 

Protestant, he feared the treachery of some Catholic; and it 
he was a Catholic, he feared the pledged secrecy of the Hugue- 
not to strike some fatal blow. It was a time of constant alarm, 
constant sacrifice of life, constant traitorous condition of 
society. 

The Catholics were defied from every direction, villified, 
and slandered for things they never did. The great massacre 
on St. Bartholomew's Day, August 24, 1572, was not the work 
of the Catholic Church. It was the planned revenge of 
Catherine de Medici, to prevent the Bourbon family from 
ascending the throne. Catherine was the mother of the then 
king of France, Charles IX, and history informs us that no 
woman ever lived who was guilty of so much crime, treachery, 
and bloodshed as Catherine de Medici. Her ambition knew 
no bounds, and nothing stood in her way or prevented her 
from achieving her ends. Life was nothing to her in the ac- 
complishment of her purposes. But for her, the world would 
never have felt the disgrace of this most terrible deed of 
bloody assassination — the massacre of the Huguenots on St. 
Bartholomew's Day. It was this woman's treachery that 
caused the fatal order to be signed for that awful butchery. 
It was she who planned the execution of the plot, and who 
obtained the order from Charles IX. This horrible crime will 
ever remain a black stain upon the fair fame of the sunny 
kingdom of France. 

In order that the readers of this narration of history may 
understand the real motives which led to this disastrous result, 
we will explain its origin: After a succession of wars ending 
in 1570, a treaty of peace, called, "The Treaty of St. Germain," 



The Huguenots. 187 

was agreed upon, which was very favorable to the Huguenots, 
giving them several towns to hold as pledges of safety, with 
the privilege of fortifying and giving protection to the Prot- 
estants. Among these towns was La Rochelle, the stronghold 
of this reform faith, which, in later years, became the seat 
of the last great religious wars of France. To cement this 
treaty, the Princess Marguerite, the sister of Charles IX, was 
to wed the young king of Navarre, Henry of Bourbon. This 
proposed alliance united the two contending forces of nobility 
and, in sentiment, the opposing religfous creeds. Great re- 
joicing was made manifest over all France. Catholics and 
Protestants were equally joyful over the prospective settle- 
ment of civil strife. Even the chiefs of both lines of nobility 
crowded to Paris to attend the wedding, which took place 
August 18, 1572. Among the Protestant nobles who came 
was Admiral Coligny, who immediately sought the presence 
of Charles IX, and, being of strong and impressive demeanor, 
won favors from the king that were distasteful to the queen- 
mother, Catherine de Medici, who resolved to render these 
favors fruitless by procuring the assassination of the admiral. 
The plot was unsuccessful, and Coligny was only slightly 
wounded. The object of Coligny was to influence the king 
against Catherine, his mother, and the Guises, who were 
sworn enemies of his. 

The Huguenots immediately rallied to the support of their 
wounded chieftain and were loud in threats of revenge. Cath- 
erine was filled with great fear. Her attempted assassination 
had proved a failure, and she was in constant alarm, owing 
to her fear of being arrested or denounced by her son 



188 Christian Persecutions. 

for this baseless treachery. To place herself in a favorable 
position she immediately submitted to the king the supposed 
evidence of a Huguenot plot to take the life of the king and 
place Henry of Bourbon on the throne. She even repre- 
sented that this plot contemplated the assassination of the 
whole royal family and all the leaders of the Catholic party. 
She pleaded with her son to save his household, his kingdom, 
and his Church. She declared there was only one way that 
this could be done. As the whole Huguenot faith was allied 
against him, it was too late to arrest, but that he could execute 
to her an order of defense which could, if necessary, be secretly 
put into effect. At first the king refused to sign this order, 
but upon further entreaty he was overcome by his mother 
and signed the decree for the arrest or assassination of every 
Huguenot in Paris at such time as Catherine deemed it best 
for the safety of the royal family. On signing this decree the 
king said: "I agree to the scheme, providing not one Hugue- 
not be left alive in France to reproach me with the deed." 

Catherine was successful in making effective her plans of 
revenge. She held the decree ordering, at her will, the arrest 
or assassination of every Huguenot in France. The schemes 
of Admiral Coligny would be frustrated by his death. There 
would be no arrests. It would be a carefully-laid plan of 
awful murders, conspiracies, or assassinations. Not one 
enemy of Catherine should escape. The hated nobles, princes, 
and laymen should feel the full force of a woman's persecu- 
tion. The royal family of Huguenots should die. Not one 
should remain alive to foment 'discord, to preach reform, 
or denounce the plots of Catherine. Now a state of uncon- 



The Huguenots. 189 

trolled hatred, passion and power should prevail. She would 
plan for extermination, not victory; it should', however, be 
the silent treachery of confidence, not an honorable conflict. 
It should be in the midday of night, not in open battle. It 
should be when men slept and dreamed of peace and security. 
It should be announced by a preconcerted signal — the tolling 
of a bell. 

It was midnight of St. Bartholomew's Day when this 
woman gave the signal. Her army of followers were posted 
everywhere. The bell tolled and the massacre began. The 
first victim to fall was Admiral Coligny. After the assassin 
had finished his work the body was dragged to a window and 
thrown to the street below in order that the Duke of Guise 
might see that his enemy was indeed dead. To describe this 
scene of butchery would be to repeat the scenes of Nero's 
persecutions. Without thought or warning these bloodthirsty 
allies of Catherine, a woman, a mother, stealthily entered the 
houses of their victims, and with cool calculations of premedi- 
tated murder, executed her awful orders. The number of vic- 
tims is variously estimated from 10,000 to 25,000 in all France, 
and from 3,000 to 8,000 in Paris alone. 

History written with religious bias does not fully explain 
the cause of this awful tragedy. It is loud in the denunciation 
of Catholic conspiracy, when Catholics, like the Huguenots, 
were in reality used to further the designs of those in power, 
or those seeking power. To prove this, we find that the whole 
civilized world, both Catholics and Protestants, loudly con- 
demned this wholesale slaughter. The originators of the 
scheme were denounced as the greatest living enemies of all 



190 Christian Persecutions. • 

Christianity, and that no honorable Christian could, for a 
moment, countenance it. Pope Gregory XIII was informed 
that it was a Huguenot conspiracy to destroy the royal family, 
and on the report that the conspirators had failed, he held a 
feast of thanksgiving for their deliverance, but when he ascer- 
tained the true situation he mourned over the occurrence and 
repeatedly expressed his abhorrence at the cowardly acts of 
those who planned the deed. 

This black page in French history only served to arouse 
the Huguenots to a more determined defense of their proposed 
system of reform. They believed their conflicts were wholly 
due to religious questions: that they were being persecuted 
because they were not Catholics; that it was purely a religious 
war. They little understood the deep current that controlled 
the stream of conflict, and from these misunderstandings they 
became more bitter than ever, more determined to denounce 
the Church of Rome, and more determined to advance their 
doctrine of worship. 

We now come to a peculiar combination of events in the 
history of the French government. Charles IX soon died 
and Henry III succeeded him, and for fifteen years of his 
reign there was a constant state of turmoil and war. The 
king became jealous of the popularity of the Duke of Guise 
and caused him to be assassinated. In revenge for this treach- 
ery, a Dominican monk stabbed the king with a dagger, and 
thus ended the House of Valois-Orleans. Henry of Bourbon, 
king of Navarre, now came to the throne as Henry IV, and 
What the conspirator — Catherine — 'had sought to prevent, 
was now an accomplished fact. Henry was the first of the 



The Huguenots. 191 

Bourbons, and being a Protestant, and leader of the Hugue- 
nots, was not well received by the Catholics. The majority 
of the nation were Roman Catholics, and it is hard to con- 
ceive how a Protestant prince and the leader of the hated 
Huguenots could govern to the entire satisfaction of his 
people. 

Peace was of short duration and civil war again com- 
menced its awful deeds of violence. The Catholics declared 
that Cardinal Bourbon, an uncle of Henry, was by right the 
possessor of the throne, and sought to establish his claims. 
Philip II of Spain assisted the Catholics, and Elizabeth of 
England aided the Huguenots. After four years of strife 
Henry was constrained by a powerful influence to renounce 
the Huguenot faith and adopt that of the Roman Catholic 
Church. Henry was personally liked by the Catholic chiefs, 
and to stand in great favor with them, was to become a Cath- 
olic and thus stop these disastrous wars. He considered not 
only the policy so far as he himself was concerned, but it 
would remove all obstacles to a speedy peace. The country 
was tired of war and bloodshed, and to do this would stop the 
plans to place Cardinal Bourbon on the throne, and in due 
regard to peace and Christianity it became his duty to declare 
in favor of the Catholics. 

• As soon as Henry became the acknowledged and undis- 
puted king of France, he commenced to build up its wasted 
energies and to restore its lost fortunes. In 1598, April 15th, 
he issued the celebrated Edict of Nantes, which gave to the 
Huguenots religious freedom and opened to them the avenues 
of employment and the right to hold office. He also gave 



192 Christian Persecutions. 

them a large number of fortified towns in which they could 
have refuge, and defense, among which was the previously 
mentioned city of La Rochelle. France now entered upon a 
period of wonderful prosperity. Trade, commerce, and indus- 
tries thrived on every hand. Religious toleration was hailed 
with joy by both Catholics and Protestants. The Huguenots 
were no longer clamoring for the overthrow of Catholic 
rights. They were content to spread their faith by the natural 
process — the expansion of ideas. It was a season of peace, 
and though there slumbered a latent hatred to all things Cath- 
olic, yet glad at the beautiful brightness of a new sunrise, 
they curbed their passions and prejudices, and lived content in 
the assurances that a terrible storm had ended and a glorious 
day was dawned. 

For twelve years the beautiful winged emblem of peace 
had floated over the empire of France, when suddenly the 
clear sky was rent by the bolt of assassination. A fanatic by 
the name of Ravaillac, who regarded Henry IV as an enemy 
of the Catholic Church, planned an assassination by which 
the king met his death. This was a sad blow to the peace 
and prosperity of France, for with the death of Henry the 
Huguenots lost a true friend, although he had renounced 
their faith. With Henry it was toleration, and peace, and 
good will to all. He worked for harmony, and in a large 
measure had been successful. He was loved by Catholics, 
revered by the Huguenots, and in the administration of affairs 
was just to all. 

Louis XIII, his son, succeeded him, but being a child of 
nine years, the government was administered by Mary de 



The Huguenots. 193 

Medici, his mother, until Louis attained his majority, where- 
upon he chose Cardinal Richelieu for his prime minister. 
Richelieu was one of the most remarkable characters of the 
seventeenth century. From the moment he was chosen by 
Louis he became the virtual ruler of France, and history 
informs us that for twenty years he was the great dictator 
of the destinies, not only of France, but in a large measure, 
of all Europe. Richelieu's policy was to place the King of 
France in absolute authority of all the people of his govern- 
ment regardless of toleration; and, secondly, to make the 
power of his sovereign the supreme power of Europe. 

To obtain supreme control over the people of France, 
Richelieu must first subdue the political power of the Hugue- 
nots, who were strongly aided by their royal princes and 
nobles ; and to control the destinies of Europe, he must break 
down the power of both lines of the House of Hapsburg. As 
the House of Hapsburg meant Austria and Spain, Richelieu 
must bend his energies to crush both countries. As the 
Huguenots were dissatisfied with their condition under Rich- 
elieu they determined to form an independent commonwealth 
on the southwestern coast of France, with La Rochelle as its 
capital. Accordingly, in 1627, they formed an alliance with 
England, and an English fleet and army were sent to institute 
and protect this new Republic. Richelieu now determined to 
crush forever the nobility of the Huguenots, and personally 
led an army to the siege of La Rochelle, which stubbornly 
resisted his repeated attacks for more than a year, but was 
finally overpowered and, in 1628, surrendered to French au- 
thority. Richelieu was so determined in his conquest that he 



194 Christian Persecutions. 

ordered the fortifications of La Rochelle to "be razed to the 
ground, in such wise that the plow may plow through the 
soil as though tilled land." 

The Huguenots maintained a desperate resistance for a 
few months longer, but were finally reduced to submission. 
The political power of the French Protestants was now com- 
pletely broken. The Huguenot chiefs were divested of author- 
ity, and the first great move of Richelieu had been performed. 
France was now in complete subjection to the royal power 
of Louis, King of France. A treaty of peace was negotiated, 
called the Edict of Grace, which accorded to all the freedom 
of worship. While the Huguenots had lost their power of 
government and were stripped of all sovereignty, yet Car- 
dinal Richelieu, in the wisdom of toleration, refused no man 
the right to worship and to proclaim his belief to the world. 

Many historians declare that the years of strife and blood- 
shed cover the years of the persecution of religious worship; 
this charge, however, by the recorded actions of Richelieu in 
his Edict of Grace, must be denied. It was not a persecution 
of faith, but the subjection of rebellious Huguenot chiefs who, 
under the cloak of a Protestant faith, sought to dismember 
France, and, unable to control the government, would set up 
an independent republic of their own. While religious fanat- 
icism swayed the multitude, and wars of unrelenting hate 
had desolated France for more than two generations, and 
though she lost through massacres, assassinations, and wars 
more than a million lives, yet the real issue was not religion, 
but war for place, preferment, and power. The nobility were 
divided and to foment strife the innocent Catholics and Prot- 
estants were arrayed against each other in deadly combat. 



The Huguenots. 195 

Let us again return to Richelieu and mark a curious 
feature : The Thirty Years' War of Germany was in its wildest 
rage, and Richelieu, who had just crushed French Protestant- 
ism in France, now gives aid to the Protestant princes of 
Germany, The solution of this mystery is that the success of 
the German princes means a division of Germany and the 
humiliation of Austria, one branch of the House of Hapsburg. 
Richelieu did not live to see the closing of the Thirty Years' 
War or the humiliation of Austria and Spain, but the foreign 
policy of the great minister was carried out by others, and 
both branches of the House of Hapsburg were dethroned, and 
the second great object of Richelieu was accomplished. 

Thus closed the religious-political wars of France. To 
the people it had been a fighting for faith and the overthrow 
of those contending against them, while with the leaders it 
was the procurement of individual power. The loss to France 
was most terrible, and its effect demoralizing. The loss of 
life could be measured by numbers, but the loss of confidence 
was beyond computation. Industries were ruined, trade sup- 
pressed, and commerce gone. The people were slow to re- 
cover their enthusiasm, even of worship. The spirit of prog- 
ress was dead, and they stood as dazed at the awful wreck 
that was around them. 

While we view with horror the massacre of St. Bartholo- 
mew's Day, yet we find on the counter page of history a start- 
ling array of carnage, vandalism and bloodshed. We find 
that the history of France is filled with the most atrocious 
deeds of violence which the "faithful" allowed themselves to 
commit on the "Papists" and their "idolatrous worship." To 



196 Christian Persecutions. 

quote from history, we find that "during a period of forty 
years over five thousand priests and members of religious 
orders suffered martyrdom. The inhuman atrocities of which 
these Protestants were guilty had not even the excuse of being 
the effect of sudden excitement; they were performed at the 
instigation and with the approbation of Calvinistic preachers 
and synods. The principal scene of devastation was Southern 
France. Many churches were torn down; the Catholic priests 
were ill-treated and driven away; pictures, relics, and in some 
places — as at Nismes (1561), where Viret had stirred up the 
passions of the populace — even the Sacred Hosts were given 
to the flames. Similar outbursts of wild fanaticism took place 
at Paris (December, 1561), where the Huguenots took the 
church of Medardus by storm, ill-treated the Catholics, and 
trampled under foot the consecrated Hosts. Matters were even 
worse yet in the little kingdom of Berne. Here the regent 
was Johanna d'Albret, wife of Anthony of Bourbon, who in 
1563 had become a Calvinist. She deposed the Catholics from 
their dignities, expelled the priests, and replaced them by 
preachers ; while, at the instance of the latter, she forbade the 
exercise of Catholic worship. Those of the inhabitants who 
resisted this command were severely punished, and the priests 
who refused to apostatize were cruelly murdered. 

"In Montpellier the Huguenots destroyed forty-six 
churches; in Orleans, nineteen; in the kingdom of Berne, Col- 
igny had three hundred churches demolished. In Uzes, Nis- 
mes, Viviers, and Mende, five hundred churches were torn 
down. The magnificent cathedral at Beziers was transformed 
into a stable. About one hundred and fifty cathedrals and 



The Huguenots. 197 

abbeys were ruined with the brutality of vandalism; the 'idola- 
trous pictures' burnt, the sacred vessel desecrated. At Nismes 
the Huguenots murdered eighty Catholics of good standing, 
and cast their bodies into the 'bloody Springs.' In Sully, 
Coligny had thirty-five priests made away with and their 
bodies thrown into the Loir. In Pithiviers he had all the 
priests hanged. When Gabriel de Lorges, Count of Mont- 
gomery, had freed Berne, in 1569, from French troops, he 
caused three thousand Catholics of every age, sex, and con- 
dition to' be hewn down, the churches to be laid in ashes, etc. 
The Calvinist synod of Lescar demanded that everyone should 
be forced to attend the Calvinistic sermons. Can we wonder 
that by such conduct on the part of the Huguenots and their 
leaders, the French Catholics, who constituted the immense 
majority, were driven beyond all bounds ?" 

Such is the record of history. It was not a one-sided per- 
secution. The Protestants were taught that the Pope and his 
Church were robbers of personal liberty and of personal wor- 
ship; that they were conspirators; instruments in the hands 
of the Church to destroy all reformation or opposition; that 
their worship was the institution of the devil and ought to be 
destroyed; that their images and pictures were defamatory of 
God's holy command; that the image of the Blessed Holy 
Virgin was an insult to Christianity. All these and more were 
the teachings of the Reformation. They believed they had 
received divine inspiration through Calvin and MJartin Luther. 
They were the elect and God's chosen people, and that it was 
His command to compel the spreading of this "true gospel"' 
of worship. 



198 Christian Persecutions. 

We might continue and write a volume in narration of the 
events which interested France through her cruel wars, extend- 
ing over a period of sixty-six years— 1562 to 1628 — but enough 
has been said to give an idea of the cause and effect of this 
awful devastation of life and property, and the persecution of 
Christianity. It explains the motive power of conflict and con- 
quest. It explains that no war would ever have been waged 
had it not been for the division of royal power and its jealous 
ambitions. While the rank and file fought for the principles of 
faith, yet we are not oblivious to the fact that these people were 
misled by the powers that were above them. In almost every 
event of any particular note, we can trace the selfish motive 
of some designing person. At the Massacre of Vassy, a 
renowned record of history, we find the cause to be the over- 
bearing command of the Duke of Guise, who provoked a 
quarrel and then made an assault, while the tragedy of St. 
Bartholomew's Day was the conspiracy of royal scheming. 
So we may trace the animus of these terrible persecutions to 
some cause not directly religious, but in general foreign to 
any doctrine of worship. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE SPANISH INQUISITION. 

P ROB ABLY there is no institution, or name, or feature of 
* Catholic origin, or anything representing Catholic au- 
thority, that is so little understood and so loudly and violently 
condemned by Protestants, as the Spanish Inquisition. So 
strong has become the prejudice against this institution that 
its name has become the synonym for all that indicates intol- 
eration, persecution, misery, inhumanity, and the most excru- 
ciating cruelty. 

Every Protestant has been taught the awful horrors 
recorded as having been committed by this institution, and 
he was also instructed by the same teachers that the penalties 
prescribed and exacted were authorized by the Catholic 
Church. Thus did the Spanish Inquisition become associated 
with or at least a part of the history of this Church. It seems 
as though Protestant historians took delight in holding up this 
institution as authorized by Catholic authority, and asserting 
that if the Catholic religion should again obtain dominion 
over the earth, the same results would inevitably follow. 

As a proof that this is the feeling among Protestants I may 
cite my own state of mind before I determined to investigate 
the matter for my own edification and satisfaction. While I 
do not claim to be highly educated, nor can I be charged 
with a low order of ignorance, yet I must say that in my varied 
researches in history, in my official duties, my extensive read- 



200 Christian Persecutions. 

ings, I failed to find that any particular or special Protestant 
history of this institution existed, except that oft-repeated 
story that it was a tribunal of torture established by Catholic 
authority, and that the less we investigated it the more char- 
itable we could be in covering up this black page in the his- 
tory of the Church. I believed from what I had learned that 
it was a chapter so vile, so' terribly inhuman, and so wretched 
in all its details of cruelty, that it would be far better to forget 
than to investigate. 

In my youth I had been taught the awful tortures inflicted 
by this Inquisition. My nursery-books were sure to contain 
some harrowing tale of martyred individuals, such as pictures 
of men hanging by their thumbs; machines for twisting and 
crushing the feet and dislocating of joints; pouring boiling 
oil, or pitch, into the boots of the victims; cutting off hands, 
feet, ears, nose, tongue; skinning alive; roasting, and burning; 
strangling, suffocating, and other forms of cruelty. One pic- 
ture in particular, which has ever haunted me, was that of a 
man condemned to death by quartering. This process con- 
sisted in harnessing four horses to his arms and legs and 
forcing them to draw in opposite directions until the limbs 
were torn from the body. 

So vivid are these pictures and their descriptions in my 
imagination that to forget them;, and the source from which 
they emanated, would be an impossibility. To-day the same 
teachings are almost constantly kept before the children and, 
like myself, they grow to maturity with the same prejudice, 
distrust, and ignorance of the real facts. But children cannot 
be blamed for harboring this feeling of horror, not even when 



The Spanish Inquisition. 201 

they become men. They have had no other instruction, no 
other form of literature, and no means of obtaining knowledge 
different from this. Even Catholics remain silent, and bear 
this perversion of facts and their mental agony without re- 
sentment. They make no voluntary denial of these charges, 
and, as a natural consequence, Protestants believe that the 
statements are true and cannot be denied. 

After I had prepared a goodly portion of the manuscript 
for this work I explained its object to a particular friend of 
mine, and I was astonished to find that his belief was that 
since 1500 persecution had been practiced on one side only. 
He believed that the history of the Catholic Church was a 
history of crime, bloodshed, and persecution, and that Protest- 
antism was the meek, suffering lamb, rescued by divine power 
from the wickedness and corruption of the old Roman Church. 
"Well," said he, "there is one chapter in the history of that 
religion you will have to omit, and that is the Spanish In- 
quisition." 

And so it is. Men of intelligence, men of great learning, 
and great ability to comprehend, are actually ignorant of what 
the Spanish Inquisition was, what power controlled it, and 
how it came into existence. Like my friend, they have read 
only books which were published more for the sake of wreak- 
ing fanatical revenge than for furthering the cause of unpreju- 
diced education. They had become possessed of an idea, and 
there that idea remained. They did not care to investigate, as 
they were afraid they would unearth some new terrors, and 
seemed content to remain in silence and ignorance. 

Now, before I enter into a discussion of this Inquisition 
(14) 



202 Christian Persecutions. 

let me state to my readers that if they will study history other 
than that written by men whose minds are warped by fanati- 
cism, or by those who can see no good in the Catholic Church, 
they will find what I have found — a new view of this institu- 
tion. While it is not my intention to excuse the excesses of 
this tribunal, or to deny any of the awful deeds of cruelty and 
torture perpetrated by it, yet it is my desire to show to you 
that crime was never sanctioned by the Church, that bloodshed 
and persecution form no part of her creed, and that in the 
Spanish cruelties the acts were those of the State and not of 
the Church. 

To say that the Spanish Inquisition did not practice un- 
merciful cruelties upon certain classes of her people, or that it 
did not prosecute its work with a determined effort to destroy 
all opposition is to deny the facts of history. We all know that 
this institution did exist, that it was powerful in its influence, 
that it was instituted under a law of the kingdom, and that 
through the enforcement of the law, it became the sole crea- 
ture of the State. Right here let me make this statement, and 
I ask you to note the difference : This tribunal was organized 
by the State for the purpose of detecting and punishing crime, 
and was not an institution established by the Church. While 
the Kingdom of Spain was a subdivision, or, in other words, 
a province under the general government of the Church, yet 
the king was the ruling sovereign, who directed the making 
of the laws of his own government. As those laws were inde- 
pendent of ecclesiastical authority, they cannot be charged 
against the Church. Although the king was supposed to obey 
the laws of the Church regarding the matter of faith and doc- 
trine, yet in the government of his people he was supreme. 



The Spanish Inquisition. 203 

But you will say, was not Spain Catholic, and as such was 
not the Church responsible for allowing these wrongs? In 
the punishment of heresy, did they not follow the direction of 
Catholic authority? True, Spain was Catholic, and the Span- 
ish Inquisition was a Catholic institution of that State, just as 
any law was a Catholic law. But because of this, are you to 
charge all the crimes of a people to the Church because those 
people belonged to that Church? If a Catholic, to-day, 
should commit a crime, must we charge the Church with the 
deed? If children are disobedient, are we to* hold their par- 
ents accountable for the sin? 

Now, before you can convict the Church of these Spanish 
inhumanities, you must show some proof that the Pope, or 
Councils, sanctioned such decrees of punishment, and that 
you cannot do. Not only did the head of the Church entreat 
for moderation, but he threatened excommunication, and the 
infliction of direst punishment. The Inquisitors, however, had 
obtained the power and would wield it to suit their own 
notions of justice. 

In the establishment of this institution, or tribunal, Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella set before Pope Sextus IV that it was 
necessary for the preservation of order in their kingdom to 
organize an Inquisition, and under this entreaty the Pope 
sanctioned it, believing that it was nothing more than a Star- 
Chamber Tribunal for the examination of those charged with 
some crime. The year following its introduction, 1481, the 
Jews complained to the Pope of its severity, and the same 
Pontiff issued a Bull against the Inquisitors, and as the his- 
torian Prescott informs us, "he rebuked their intemperate zeal, 



204 Christian Persecutions. 

and even threatened them with deprivation." He wrote to 
Ferdinand and Isabella that "Mercy towards the guilty was 
more pleasing to God than the severity which they were 
using." 

When the Pope ascertained that his commands were being 
disobeyed, he encouraged the sufferers to flee to Rome, where 
in two years he received and gave protection to four hundred 
and fifty refugees from Spain. But I hear some one exclaim, 
why did the Pope allow this wrong? If he sanctioned its 
adoption, why did he not set his authority against it in such 
a manner as to force its discontinuance? But we must re- 
member that conditions then were far different from condi- 
tions now. The whole country was on the verge of a great 
religious revolt, and heresy was the greatest crime known. 
In less than half a century Germany, England, Switzerland, 
Norway, Holland, and other countries set up Protestant gov- 
ernments. Even France had been in the throes of civil strife, 
while Spain stood alone against the assaults of the Reformers. 
She saw the rising tide of Protestantism and sought to pre- 
vent its spread in her territory, and in establishing the Inquisi- 
tion she did that which, in her judgment, would discourage 
this religion, and suppress that of the Jews and Turks. The 
laws of Spain denounced heresy as the greatest crime of the 
kingdom, and in its suppression she did what England has 
done in Ireland in persecuting the Catholics for three hundred 
years — sought self-preservation. As the ferocity of the Span- 
ish Inquisition lasted only about fifteen years, although the 
tribunal, in various modified forms, existed mqny years longer, 
the balance-sheet of atrocities, when compared with Ireland 
alone, is decidedly in favor of Catholicism. 



The Spanish Inquisition. 205 

But heresy was not the only object against which the In- 
quisition exerted its fury. While it was organized for the 
ostensible purpose of preventing the spread of religious oppo- 
sition, it in reality soon became the cloak which covered the 
oppression of the royal Court of Spain. As it was established 
by King Ferdinand it was held more for the purpose of pro- 
moting earthly affairs, than from motives of religious zeal. 
Or, as we find the fact in history, Ferdinand used its machin- 
ery, not to preserve Catholic faith, but to uphold and sustain 
his power in the kingdom. 

The Moors and Jews were looked upon more as the ene- 
mies of the throne than as the enemies of the Church, and the 
despotic power of the Inquisitors was directed against those 
who were suspected of being against the Spanish government. 

The authorities in those days knew no way of extorting 
confessions except by bodily pain. We of this enlightened 
age place our victims in the sweat-box — the Star-Chamber of 
the police force — and there ply the mind with agonizing ques- 
tions until, through sheer exhaustion, the accused yields the 
truth. It may require days of this mental persecution before 
his physical body succumbs to the strain and he is forced to 
confess, or, if he is obstinate and refuses to answer the ques- 
tions asked him, he is punished bodily for contempt of court. 
He may not have his body disfigured, for our laws prevent, 
but rest assured the members of this Star Chamber will inflict 
correctives that will induce the victim to prefer the sweat-box 
rather than suffer these bodily discomforts. 

But you say, this is all right; the culprit has committed a 
crime, and we have a right to extort a confession. Had you 



206 , Christian Persecutions. * 

lived in the days of the Reformation, or any period of our 
world's existence up to the nineteenth century, you would also 
have believed in bodily pain for the extortion of confession. 
Possibly you may remember something of our own history, 
when the Puritans of New England, the most religious Prot- 
estant denomination in existence, and who fled from persecu- 
tion for the God-given privilege of worshiping according to 
the dictates of conscience — perhaps you may remember that 
these persecuted Puritans, the followers of John Calvin, meted 
out the same punishment for heresy that was inflicted upon 
them and from which they fled. Read your school history 
and you will find: 

Question — What was the cause and result of the Salem 
witchcraft? 

Answer — A superstition prevailed that persons were sub- 
ject to the control of invisible evil spirits, and it is the ac- 
cepted opinion that 200 persons were accused, 150 imprisoned, 
28 condemned, 19 hanged, and one pressed to death. 

What a record for these Christian Puritans on the item of 
superstition alone! There was not a particle of foundation 
for it except that evolved by the imagination of the ignorant. 

But again we find: "The Quakers were whipped, branded, 
had their ears cut off, their tongues bored with hot irons, and 
were banished under pain of death in case of their return, and 
actually executed on the gallows. " 

Turn to your history again and ask the question, "Who 
was Roger Williams"? "A Puritan, who, for his liberal reli- 
gious opinions, was banished from Massachusetts. When he 
escaped from the hands of the Puritans he fled to Rhode 



The Spanish Inquisition. 207 

Island and took refuge among the Indians. Canonicus, the 
Xarragansett Chief, gave him land to found a settlement, 
which he gratefully named Providence." 

Xow, while we are discussing Xew England times, let us 
inquire who was Lord Baltimore, and how does he figure in 
American history? 

"Lord Baltimore was a Catholic, who, to secure for his 
Churchmen a refuge from the persecutions which they were 
suffering in England, came to America and secured a grant of 
land covering considerable territory in Maryland. The Vir- 
ginia colonies, under Clayborne, started a rebellion and drove 
Lord Baltimore, then governor of Maryland, out of the colony. 
The Protestants, having obtained a majority in the Assembly, 
excluded Catholics from their rights, assailed their religion, 
and even declared them outside the protection of the law. 
Civil war ensued. At one time two governments were sus- 
tained — one Protestant and the other Catholic. In 1691, Lord 
Baltimore was entirely deprived of his rights as proprietor, 
and Maryland became a royal province. In 1715, the fourth 
Lard Baltimore recovered the government, and religious 
toleration was again restored." 

"To whom does the honor of having first established 
religious freedom in America belong"? 

"To the Roman Catholics of Maryland." 

Thus we find, even in free America, that persecution be- 
cause of religious belief was carried on with much severity; 
and further, that the Protestants of our own country are 
indebted to the Catholics for setting the example of free wor- 
ship. 



208 Christian Persecutions. 

Suppose I should tell you that, during the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth of England, the most revengeful of all the Prot- 
estant sovereigns, the Covenanters of Scotland were hunted 
like wild rabbits through forest and morass, and through 
mountain and valley, and shot upon sight, would you believe 
me? Hardly, unless you have studied the history of Scotland. 
Then you will find that the Catholics were not the only ones 
persecuted because of religion. Yet you charge the Church 
of Rome with the horrible executions of the Spanish govern- 
ment. 

I must call your attention in this connection to an incident 
that happened in Philadelphia in 1844: 

"In the religious riots of Philadelphia in 1844, several 
Catholic churches were burned down in the name of Protest- 
antism, and houses were sacked. I was informed by an eye- 
witness that owners of houses were obliged to mark on their 
doors these words, This house belongs to Protestants,' in 
order to save their property from the infuriated incendiaries. 
For these acts I never heard of any retaliation on the part of 
Catholics, and I hope I never shall, no matter how formidable 
may be their numbers, and tempting the provocation." 

The above is by Cardinal Gibbons in 'The Faith of Our 
Fathers." 

Again, in the same volume we find a truth expressed that it 
is well for all of us to consider and to ask ourselves, why is it? 

"In spite of the boasted toleration of our times, it cannot 
be denied that there still lurks a spirit of inquisition, which 
does not, indeed, vent itself in physical violence, but is, never- 
theless, most galling to its victims. How many persons have 



The Spanish Inquisition. 209 

I met in the course of my ministry, who were ostracised by 
their kindred and friends, driven from home, nay, disinherited 
by their parents, for the sole crime of carrying out the very 
shibboleth of Protestantism — the exercise of private judgment, 
and of obeying the dictates of their conscience, by embracing 
the Catholic faith! Is not this the most exquisite torture that 
can be inflicted on refined natures? 

"Ah! there is an imprisonment more lonely than the dun- 
geon; it is the imprisonment of our most cherished thoughts 
in our own hearts, without a member of the family with whom 
to communicate. 

"There is a sword more keen than the executioner's knife; 
it is the envenomed tongue of obloquy and abuse. There is a 
banishment less tolerable than exile from one's country; it 
is the excommunication from the paternal roof, and from the 
affections of those we love." 

Thus we find that, through a prejudiced line of teaching, 
we are taught to see the faults of Catholics more fully than 
those of the Protestants, and possibly we may find that the 
one is exaggerated, while the other is suppressed. 

But let us return to the Spanish Inquisition. Like our 
own sweat-box, those who were suspected of crime were given 
into the hands of the Inquisitors, who sought to force them 
to divulge their connection therewith. If the victim refused 
to disclose his knowledge of the crime, deed, or plot, he was 
subjected to cruel tortures of the body. The infliction of pen- 
alties was measured according to the enormity of the crime 
committed and the supposed value of the information to be 
gained. When persons were condemned to death, such means 



2L0 Christian Persecutions. 

were used as, in the judgment of the Inquisitors, was most 
fitting for the crime alleged against them. 

Even to-day there are people who would have the mur- 
derer condemned to the same death as that suffered by his 
victim, the execution to take place on the spot where the deed 
was committed. While many of our people to-day deny the 
justice of taking a life for a life, yet then it was far different. 
They were educated to severity and to meet death by burn- 
ing, by torture, or by any other prescribed mode that Was in 
accordance with the law of the government under which they 
lived. This right was not questioned in those times. It was 
expected by every one, and as such must be endured. If an 
individual preached religious opposition, he was denounced as 
a heretic, and as this was declared to be the greatest crime 
before God and man, he must abide by the law of the com- 
monwealth. 

Had this persecution for heresy been confined to Catholics, 
we might have some excuse to complain, but when we find 
that Protestants practiced it to a far greater extent, then but 
little should have been said except to condemn the whole. 
To condemn one side and ignore the other, is not just his- 
tory, and it is here I make my complaint. I was brought up 
in ignorance regarding this question, and 1 all Protestant chil- 
dren to-day are being educated to harbor exactly the same 
old intolerance and to believe the same old inconsistent, hid- 
den, and distorted facts of history, when the facts of history 
show that Catholics were persecuted one hundred times to 
the Protestants once. 

This being the case, why not teach our children regard- 



The Spanish Inquisition. 211 

ing it? Why lay this foundation of prejudice, and allow them 
to grow to manhood with hatred in their hearts? If you are 
Christian, why not teach the truth? If you find in the con- 
duct of your ancestors a crime against a fellow man, con- 
demn it. When you find that John Calvin authorized the 
burning of Michael Servetus because he was a heretic, teach 
it to your children and condemn it. When you find in the 
history of Ireland hundreds of years of Protestant persecu- 
tion, condemn it. When you find the bloody massacres of 
Oliver Cromwell and William of Orange, because of loyalty 
to Catholic faith, do not cover it up, but show to the world 
what Protestants were doing. When you read of the persecu- 
tions of Henry VIII, Edward VI, or Elizabeth, do not seek 
to believe them right because they w T ere perpetrated by Prot- 
estant monarchs. When you teach of the Reformation, do 
not fail to mention the desolation of Germany, of Switzer- 
land, of France, and of Holland. Do not fail to mention the 
hundreds of thousands of lives that were lost in battle, and 
as you do this, compare this wholesale persecution of Protest- 
ants against Catholics to the Spanish Inquisition, the only 
instance in the history of the Catholic Church where sanc- 
tion was ever given by which crime was perpetrated, and 
this was done through a misconception of its power and mean- 
ing, and by the head authority of the Church was condemned 
within one year, and to prevent the blighting influence of an 
apparent Church wrong the Pope even excommunicated In- 
quisitors and demanded that the Inquisition should be abol- 
ished. 

And yet this Inquisition was not against Protestants alone, 



212 Christian Persecutions. 

but against the Moors and Israelites, who were not only op- 
posed to the Catholic religion, but were seeking to restore their 
lost power by the overthrow of Ferdinand and the enthrone- 
ment of the king of Barbary, or the Grand Turk. 

The great suspicion of Ferdinand was, what plot was being 
laid and what torture would disclose it. Had there been only 
heresy to deal with there would have been no Inquisitors 
to extort confession through torture. Ferdinand and Isabella 
were the sole authors of this institution, and the stability of 
the throne depended upon it. As proof of this condition we 
find the following historical facts : 

"It was, therefore, rather a royal and political than an 
ecclesiastical institution. The king nominated the Inquisitors, 
who were equally composed of lay and clerical officials. He 
dismissed them at will. From the King, and not from the 
Pope, they derived their jurisdiction, and into the King's 
coffers, and not into the Pope's, went all the emoluments 
accruing from fines and confiscations. In a word, the au- 
thority of the Inquisition began and ended with the crown." 

But why do we so severely condemn this Spanish Inquisi- 
tion for a persecution of the Moors and Jews, when we find 
that even Martin Luther recommended a merciless doctrine 
against the Israelites? While he did not advocate a studied 
means of bodily torture, yet he declared that their synagogues 
ought to be destroyed, their houses pulled down, their prayer- 
books, and even the books of the Old Testament, to be taken 
from them. Their rabbis ought to be forbidden to teach, 
and be compelled to gain their livelihood by hard labor. When 
you teach of these Catholic Spanish horrors, why not teach 



The Spanish Inquisition. 213 

at the same time what other religious denominations were 
doing? Therefore, if we condemn Spanish' persecution, why 
not condemn Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulric Zwingli, 
Henry VIII, Elizabeth, Oliver Cromwell, William of Orange, 
and the entire galaxy of Reformers of that period? 

"It should be borne in mind that Henry VIII, and his suc- 
cessors for many generations, inflicted fines, imprisonment, 
and death to thousands of their subjects for denying the spirit- 
ual supremacy of the temporal sovereign. This galling Inquisi- 
tion lasted for nearly three hundred years, and the severity of 
its decrees scarcely finds a parallel in the Spanish Inquisition. 
Prescott avows that the administration of Elizabeth was 'not 
a whit less despotic, and scarcely less sanguinary than that 
of Isabella.' The clergy of Ireland, under Cromweil, were 
ordered, under pain of .death, to quit their country, and the- 
ological students were obliged to pursue their studies in for- 
eign seminaries. Any priest who dared to return to his native 
country forfeited his life. Whoever harbored a priest suffered 
death, and they who knew his hiding-place, and did not reveal 
it to the Inquisitors, had both ears cut off." 

Besides this, we find that Protestants are worshiping at 
this very moment in churches wrested from Catholics in the 
countries of England, Ireland, Scotland, Holland, and Ger- 
many, and though of no consequence at this late day to 
mention these confiscated altars of worship, why conceal 
the truth? Why place all the odium of religious persecution 
and Spanish Inquisitions on the Church of Rome, when we 
have a field far broader which marks the religious despotism 
of the Protestants and their allies? 



214 Chkistian Peksecutions. 

In the Cosmopolitan of February, 1895, we find a very- 
interesting article by Julian Hawthorn, extracts of which are 
given below: 

"Mediaeval torture was not, indeed, applied exclusively 
in the interests of religion ; the Council of Ten and the Spanish 
Inquisition were organized to maintain worldly no less than 
heavenly order." 

"Torture was the fashionable and final theological argu- 
ment, and was inflicted asi opportunity served, by heretics as 
well as upon them. No sect, party, or community had the 
monopoly of it; it was a generally recognized and accepted 
form of persuasion or chastisement; and the constancy with 
which its victims endured torment was only a degree less sur- 
prising than the resolution with which its agents applied it. 

"From one point of view, torture was a natural out- 
growth of the lawless and savage condition of Europe and 
Asia during the early centuries after Christ. By way of main- 
taining some sort of social order, secret organizations were 
formed, which ruled by the terror of mystery quite as much 
as by their actual physical strength. Their influence was, 
upon the whole, beneficial; they were, in some respects, an- 
alogous to the famous vigilance committees which were a fea- 
ture of our early Californian life. Their corruption, decay, 
and extinction were the consequence of the improvement of 
the social conditions which they had come into existence 
to : control. 

"These societies arrogated the right not only to inflict 
death, but to practice torture with a view to eliciting con- 
fession." 



The Spanish Inquisition. 215 

"During the struggle between Spain and the United 
Netherlands, torture was employed by both parties indiffer- 
ently, and became very violent. The Dutchmen once tied 
a number of prisoners together in pairs, and confined them in 
a large room. No food was given them, and in the course 
of a few days they were mad with hunger. At length they 
began to devour each other. They were kept in that room 
until the last man was dead. Terrible as was the Spanish In- 
quisition, this affair goes far to even matters between them 
and the Netherlanders. Another device of the latter was to 
strip their victim, and drag him backwards and forwards on 
a rope stretched taut, until he was sawn asunder." 

"The heart sickens as one reads these awful pages and 
calls up the spectacles which they portray. It seems to be 
the story of a world wholly monstrous and diabolical. And 
yet, all this while innocent children were being born, and 
young men and maidens were loving and mating, and good 
and happy lives were lived, and Bacon and Shakespeare wrote 
immortal works. It was substantially the same beautiful, vari- 
ous, kindly world that we now live in. Nevertheless, it is 
hard to avoid the notion that the powers of darkness were 
permitted in those ages to walk the earth more boldly and 
openly than to-day, and to seize their prey with less cere- 
mony and subterfuge than at present. It was one of the 
long series of experiences through which mankind must needs 
pass before it can attain that state which is secure from the 
shadow of the pit. 

"The story of torture is not told in vain; it has a lesson. 
It is evident that those who inflicted it justified their act to 



216 Christian Persecutions. 

their own minds by arguments based upon the integrity and 
prosperity of the State and upon interpretations of holy writ. 
Religious orthodoxy in those days was essential to social 
order. Heretics were inevitably rebels against human as well 
as divine laws. Restraint and penalties were indispensable, 
if the community was to be preserved. On the other hand, 
it is doubtful whether death, or even torture, would have 
been inflicted on theological grounds alone. Certainly, the 
Roman Inquisition, which was purely a religious institution, 
never inflicted death ; whereas, that of Spain, which was mainly 
political, was steeped in blood fromi the outset. Tenderness 
for the souls of the erring may have been genuine, but it 
would not have found such extreme expression had not secu- 
lar conditions been involved with it. Be that as it may, the 
excuse and the precedent were Scriptural, based, it is true, 
upon a complete perversion of the true spirit of Scripture, 
but we may reasonably hold the perversion to have been an 
honest one. 

"And in those days the 'higher criticism' had not yet 
been evolved, and men believed the Bible with an intense, if 
superstitious, faith. They read in the Bible that God pun- 
ished sin: that, if it were persisted in, He punished it after 
the death of the body with an eternity of torments, compared 
with which the worst that man could inflict were as nothing. 
This served as their precedent. Their excuse w T as yet more 
plausible. Evil in man was caused by the machinations of 
the devil — by the suggestion and persuasion of his angels. 
The Inquisition, by torturing the body, aimed to cast out 
these devils. This accomplished, the soul would be saved from 



The Spanish Inquisition. 217 

the everlasting torments of hell. Temporal pain was the 
severe yet merciful means of guarding against the pains to 
which there was no end. 

'This was the theory of mediaeval torture — of salvation 
by the rack — and it explains much that would be else inex- 
plicable. It was founded upon a hideous mistake, and could 
not outlast the development of reason. And yet this very 
calamity was the means of awakening the spiritual conscience 
of mankind, and preparing the way for the great enlighten- 
ment to follow. Our feet, and those of our posterity, would 
not stand so firmly were not the rack and the pyre among 
the elements of our history." 

We might even go further in the mysteries of the Spanish 
Inquisition by asserting, from competent authority, that a 
greater motive than piety, or security of kingdom, influenced 
the Kings; that it was the acquisition of property by confisca- 
tion from those who were victims to its persecution 1 , and yet 
we are continually reminded of this terrible enactment of 
Catholic indignities, and that the Church urged its followers 
to strike deeper and longer against its enemies and thus 
destroy the heresy that was overrunning Europe. But if this 
is so, what can you say of this fact of history? "After the 
convening of the Council of Trent, Bartholomew Caranza, 
Archbishop of Toledo, was arrested by the Inquisition on a 
charge of heresy, and his release from prison could not be 
obtained either by the interposition of Pius IV, or the remon- 
strance of the Council." 

Is not this an evidence of the power of the Spanish Tri- 
bunal? And is it not an evidence that even ecclesiastical dig- 

(15) 



218 Christian Persecutions. 

nitaries were not exempt from its authority? If the Pope 
and the Council could not effect the deliverance of one of the 
highest archbishops in the kingdom, how could they control 
its administration in the execution of its victims, when the 
whole process of law was a secret institution? 

Now, the fact is, my friends, that this Inquisition acted 
independently of the Holy See, and that not even the Catholic 
hierarchy could command obedience, or control. Having been 
instituted for political purposes no power but that of the King 
could cause its arrest. In Naples and Milan, which then be- 
longed to Spain, the Pope succeeded in preventing the gov- 
ernment from establishing its Inquisitions. And, again, we 
find that the number of victims has been greatly exaggerated. 
In the fifteen years of its most terrible reign no more than 
two thousand were put to death in all Spain. 

While it is not my motive to speak lightly of this page of 
tragedies, or to excuse by any means the awful wrongs com- 
mitted, yet I would have you look at the whole situation, the 
condition of the people of those times, their education and be- 
liefs, the instability of government, the plots, murders, and 
political corruption. I ask you to examine the persecu- 
tions of Protestants as well as of Catholics, and as you 
view the whole history of cruelties, see them from the stand- 
point of then and not from the conditions of the present. Do 
not for a moment believe that Catholic Inquisitions of nearly 
four hundred years ago are Catholic institutions of to-day, 
unless you also believe that the Protestant persecutions of 
the same period are still being practiced. One is just as 
sensible as the other, and to teach your children the prejudice 



The Spanish Inquisition. 219 

which follows one, and not the truth of the other, is unjust and 
unchristianlike. 

We have no right to build up one cause by tearing down 
another. The days of bodily persecution are gone, never to 
return. The whole world has arrived at a state of existence 
where we are commanded to judge men by what they do, 
and not by what they have done. Laws against heresy have 
been abolished, and in its place we have the freedom of con- 
secrated rights. The spirit of God moves through the teach- 
ings of His children, and not by the blind fury of force. While 
we all preach charity and forbearance, yet let us practice it, 
let us prove to our children its meaning, let us speak the 
truth, write the truth, and teach the truth. If we find a mote 
in our brother's eye, first let us cast the beam out of our 
own, for with a dimmed vision you have no right to render 
judgment against another. What has been is not what is, 
or what will be. We live, not in the past, but in the present. 
The laws of 1492 are not the laws of 1899. The kingdom of 
Ferdinand is not the land of Columbia, and education as 
imparted then, is not the education now. Then why, I ask, 
have you not dropped your mental persecutions, your incon- 
sistency, your prejudices, and your intolerance? Why seek 
to promote what does not and cannot exist? Why not unite 
with Cardinal Gibbons and all say: 

"I heartily pray that religious intolerance may never take 
root in our favored land. May the only King to force our 
conscience be the King of kings ; may the only prison erected 
among us for the sin of unbelief or misbelief be the prison 
of a troubled conscience; and may our only motive for em- 
bracing truth be, not the fear of man, but the love of truth 
and of God." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 

I N relating the events of the French Revolution, it is not the 
A intention to dwell largely on the condition of France po- 
litically, or to enter minutely into the causes which led to this 
terrible conflict, but of the general conditions, the persecu- 
tions, the dethronement of reason, the desecration of God's 
Holy Word, the baptism of blood, triumphant guilt, and the 
wild excesses of the Commune. 

The revolution was a revolt against royal despotism and 
privileged wealth. The lands, business, institutions, and 
wealth were in the hands of the nobility, while the common 
people were oppressed, robbed of the fruits of their labor, and 
treated as serfs, instead of equals. At first but the murmurings 
of discontent were heard, but as excitement grew the most 
horrible conditions came into existence — mobs rose in vio- 
lence, became frenzied in their mad career, and committed the 
most atrocious crimes in the name of "Liberty, Equality, Fra- 
ternity ," the motto of the Revolution. 

The principal causes which led to this uprising may be 
enumerated as follows : The abuses and extravagances of the 
Bourbon monarch; the unjust privileges enjoyed by the no- 
bility; the accumulation of wealth by the clergy; the revolu- 
tionary character of French philosophy; the influence of the 
late American Revolution; the impetuous and revolutionary 

character of the French people and the wretched condition of 

220 



The Fkench Eevolution. 221 

the common masses: all conspired to turn reason into mad- 
ness, consistency into inconsistency, moderation into violence, 
honor into dishonor, and law and order into the wild and 
uncontrollable fury for pillage, confiscation and murder. The 
"Reign of Terror" is a black page in the history of France — 
a page that relates a fiendish persecution, only equaled by 
the cruelty of the pagan, Nero. Down with royalty! Down 
with the nobility! Down with the clergy! was the loud cry 
of the infuriated mobs. Reason had changed to madness. 
Justice was dethroned, blood had been shed and the wild and 
terrible cry of vengeance was resounded from throat to throat. 
*'To the lions with the Christians!" was the cry of the pagan 
populace. "To the guillotine!" was the cry of the infuriated 
mobs of the Commune. 

At the commencement of the French Revolution we find 
Louis XVI, a Bourbon monarch, king of France. We find 
him a weak-minded, vacillating sovereign; inclined to fairness 
and justice, but surrounded with a nobility that worked upon 
his weakness, obtained concessions and through their selfish 
designs instituted a condition of discontent that led to disas- 
trous results, not only for the throne, but for the cause of 
Christianity. This nobility, numbering 80,000 families, was 
what remained of the once powerful feudal aristocracy of the 
Middle Ages. The common people numbered 25,000,000, and 
were subjected to the payment of heavy taxes for the support 
of these classes. The nobility, however, were not taxed for the 
support of the government and were accorded many privileges 
at the expense of the lower classes. The peasants were rudely 
trampled upon by the infliction of intolerable wrongs. They 



222 Christian Persecutions. 

were forbidden to fence their fields for the protection of their 
crops, because it might interfere with the lord's convenience in 
the hunt. They were even forbidden to cultivate their fields at 
certain seasons of the year, for fear such cultivation might dis- 
turb the young pheasants and other game. They were made 
to feel that they were inferior, and must bow to the demands of 
their superiors. 

With the existence of such conditions, is it any wonder 
they were highly incensed against the nobility, against wealth, 
and against the inequality of society? 

Also, we find the same old pagan philosophy, simply 
smoothed over to suit existing conditions. There was in it the 
same old opposition to Christianity, faith and devotion. 
Rousseau, Voitaire and Thomas Paine were the great philoso- 
phers of the age. Their godless and atheistic writings were 
scattered broadcast, and sowed the seeds of discontent, of 
revolution, and of apostasy. They denounced the nobility as 
the great source of evil to mankind. They denounced the 
Church as a plague-spot upon the civil liberties of the people. 
They denied God from the standpoint of reason. They wrote, 
talked and pleaded for revolution, for equality, for justice, for 
individual rights. They harangued the masses, and held up 
to them the freedom of America and demanded a war for lib- 
erty, equal taxation, and a government freed from tyrants, 
kings, and nobility. They declared that all men are created 
equal and titles should be abolished. They cited the privi- 
leges of the few and the sufferances of the many. They ap- 
pealed to the passions and prejudices of the people. They 
drew pictures of American independence and American free- 



The Fkench Kevolution. 223 

dom. Discontent was thus produced, passions were aroused, 
and disrespect for authority made manifest. By preying upon 
the ignorance of the people they instituted a civil rebellion 
that knew no bounds for the infliction of vengeance, blood- 
shed, confiscation and persecution. 

The commencement of this terrible struggle was in 1789, 
when the National Assembly was organized to direct the af- 
fairs of the nation. This Assembly immediately became vio- 
lent in its " opposition to the throne and the Catholic Church, 
and seized the property of the clergy, the accumulation of cen- 
turies. All religious orders were suppressed, and solemn 
monastic vows interdicted. It prohibited ecclesiastical dress, 
legalized divorces, recognized the persecution of Catholic 
priests, stripped churches of their emblems of -worship, and, 
to wipe out every feature of Christianity, the Gregorian cal- 
endar was abolished, because it was the established time of the 
Catholic Church. A new mode of reckoning time was intro- 
duced. Each month was divided into three periods of ten 
days called "decades," the tenth day being set aside as a day 
of rest and recreation. The names of the months were changed 
to correspond to some special character. The days were also 
re-named and each day divided into ten parts. A new system 
of weights and measures was conceived and all institutions and 
customs that possibly could be, were abolished. Their hatred 
was so intense that all institutions of government, of worship 
or adoption, that were established by kings and aristocrats, 
must be abolished. 

The design of the philosophers was to unchristianize 
France, to destroy every evidence of God, of worship, and of 



224 Cheistian Persecutions. 

the Church. They declared "that the world can never be 
happy until it has denied t'he existence of God," and to show 
in what manner they proposed to attain their ends they passed 
resolutions which declared that their avowed object should be, 
"never to rest until they had strangled the last king with the 
bowels of the last priest/' 

Their animosity was so great that the Assembly legislated 
specially against priests and all who were in harmony with 
them. At first the sentence was banishment, but afterwards 
changed to a decree of death, and the terrible Danton under- 
took its execution. 

The rage of Danton and his followers was one of the most 
heartless in t'he long line of cruelties. His first bloody deed 
in Paris was the murder of three hundred priests, an arch- 
bishop and two bishops. When the signal for massacre was 
given in the Abbey of St. Germain, and some drew back, 
shuddering, one of the hired assassins called out: "What! 
Are you afraid of blood? You must get used to it." 

The cruelties into which savage men were led by priest- 
hatred are indescribable. Among the priests murdered at 
Rheims, was the holy and venerable Alexandre, dean of the 
cathedral. He was burned alive over a slow fire; his torments 
were thus prolonged for over an hour. He was compelled, 
before his own execution, to witness that of his dear friend, 
the Abbe Romain, who was most cruelly tortured and burned 
before him. While Alexandre was being roasted alive his tor- 
mentors would, from time to time, withdraw him from the 
fire, that they might gloat over the spectacle of his sufferings. 
To augment the distress, they forced his own nephew to carry 



The French Revolution. 225 

the wood and place it on the fire. Among the priests mur- 
dered at Lyons was the Abbe Regni, a man respected by all 
for his great virtue and charity. The furious mob hacked his 
fingers from his hands, tore out his entrails, and then cut off 
his head, and finished by offering his mangled limbs to the 
passers-by for relics. Such barbarities were only called "spill- 
ing the blood of a few traitors." 

To illustrate the insane desire for revenge and the uncon- 
trolled rage against those who had accumulated wealth, we 
find the Convention passed the following decree: "The city 
of Lyons is opposed to the Revolution, the city of Lyons 
shall be destroyed; every house occupied by a rich man shall 
be demolished; only the dwellings of the poor shall remain, 
with edifices especially devoted to industry, and monuments 
consecrated to humanity and public education." Thousands 
of men were employed to pull down the city, while the frenzied 
mobs constantly howled, Down with aristocracy! Down 
with the Church! Down with inequality! The Convention 
also decreed that a commemorative monument — to serve as a 
warning — should be established on the ruins of Lyons, with 
this inscription: "Lyons opposed liberty! Lyons is no 
more!" 

The madness of the people knew no bounds. To obliter- 
ate all evidence of Christianity, the Commune closed the 
Churches of Paris and confiscated their treasures, their altars, 
and shrines. Even the bells were melted and cast into cannon. 
The images of Christ and the Virgin Mary were torn down, 
defaced, trampled upon and blasphemed against. The busts 
of Marat and other revolutionists were erected in the place of 



226 Christian Persecutions. 

these beloved representatives of Christian love and faith. As 
the emancipation of the world was to be wrought through the 
guillotine instead of the cross, that instrument took the place 
of the crucifix and was called the Holy Guillotine. All the 
emblems of Christian worship were destroyed. Even the 
graves of the dead were desecrated by the hands of the rabble, 
and over the gates of the cemeteries were inscribed the words: 
"Death is an eternal sleep." 

The religious madness of the people culminated in (the 
worship of the Goddess of Reason. Churches everywhere 
were converted into temples of this new worship. The Sab- 
bath day having been abolished, the tenth day was set aside 
for the services of Reason. 

"On the 10th of November, 1793, the church of Notre 
Dame, in Paris, was made the scene of a most frightful dese- 
cration. A woman of ill-fame, with a skyblue mantle flung 
around her, and a Phrygian cap on her head, representing the 
Goddess of Reason; was conducted on a triumphal car into 
this venerable sanctuary, and there, surrounded by the fol- 
lowers of the new faith, enthroned on the higlh altar, with a 
crucifix beneath her feet; lewd songs then resounded in her 
praise, and wild dances and hideous excesses, defiled the holy 
place, and crowned the homage thus rendered to the new 
divinity. The prophecy of Beauregard was thus fulfilled to 
the very letter. This frightful impiety was enacted not only 
in Paris, but also in many other French cities, and with it was 
often combined a hideous mockery of holy things. In one 
place five hundred prostitutes appeared, clothed in sacerdotal 
vestments. In another an ass, decked with a mitre and cope, 



The French Revolution. 227 

was made to draw along a cart filled with gold and silver 
altar vessels. Xot only did men, in devilish rage, trample the 
crucifix under foot, but they also stole consecrated hosts, and, 
to the eternal shame of the ungrateful human race, flung 
them to unclean beasts to be devoured. If any one should 
speak a respectful word with regard to Christianity, or be 
surprised with a crucifix, rosary, picture of a saint, or other 
Christian emblem, death was the punishment for such an 
offense. It was only at their utmost peril that those faithful 
priests who courageously refused to forsake their flocks, 
administered the sacrament to the dying. And that such 
priests might not escape detection of the spies who constantly 
watched them, they were not allowed, under pain of death, 
to assume any sort of disguise. Nuns were starved, ill-treated, 
and led in crowds to execution; whilst public prostitutes were 
supported at the expense of the State." 

Such were the wild excesses of the Commune that to defy 
religion, to defy the truths of Christ, and to disgrace the 
Temples of God, they would lend their mockery in a pretended 
worship of vice, and in the elevation of disgraced humanity 
they would compare the purity of divine inspiration with a 
debased and lustful shame. It was not that a debased nature 
was preferred to a life of purity, but in the desecration of 
God's Holy Altar no contempt could be stronger, nor no 
mockery greater, than to bow in pretended adoration to- a 
soiled and debased woman. Xo insult could be stronger to 
the divine purity of Christianity than this act of eternal shame. 
Churches could be demolished, crosses hewn down and cast 
into the fire, sacred vestments trampled under foot, emblems 



228 Christian Persecutions. 

of veneration desecrated by the hand of the vandal, but to 
convert the House of God into the excesses of degradation, to 
supplant the altar of Christ with the representation of crime, 
and to convert the forms of Christianity into the beastly 
triumphs of an idolatrous worship, was the greatest of all dis- 
graced ignominy, and as we follow these awful desecrators of 
God's Holy Worship, we find them meeting the judgment of 
an outraged Deity. As they meted out murder and desecra- 
tion, SO' were their crimes avenge'd by the visitation of a just 
punishment. 

In the worship of Reason the orators of the day gloried in 
the achievements of the Revolution, and in the height of 
exhortation, blessed the hour wihen the people were no longer 
oppressed by the kings of earth nor by a king in heaven. 

,With the disappearance of religion there came, as a 
plague-spot upon the social life of France, a season of vice, 
sin, and degradation. The brutal nature of man was loosed 
in all its wildest terror. The corrupting influence of sin and 
shame was destroying the moral atmosphere of the social life 
of family, state, and nation. It was no longer held in 
obedience to the teachings of honor, truth, and fidelity. It 
had been loosed to the lowest infamy of helPs debasing shrine. 
It was bathed in the blood of the noblest lives of Christian 
faith, and it was wallowing in the mire of a depraved lust, an 
unforgiven mockery, and a defiled and condemned nature. 

It became a wild scene of idolatrous worship. No God, 
no Bible, no Christ, no Virgin Mary. The Goddess of Rea- 
son was the philosophy of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Thomas 
Paine. It became the condition of the present, but no future; 



The Fkench Revolution. 229 

mind but no soul; nature but no God. The cry of the Com- 
mune was to dethrone the King of Heaven as well as the kings 
of earth. One of the most dangerous leaders of the Commune 
was Hebert, who would overthrow all forms of religion, all 
forms of past government, and establish society upon the 
foundation of Communism and Atheism. To' this Robespierre, 
the great leader of the revolution, objected. He wished to 
sweep away Christianity as a superstition, but he would stop 
at Deism. He did not believe a government could be estab- 
lished on Atheism. There must be some Supreme Being for 
the people to worship. It was, and always had been popular, 
and must be continued. He said: "If God does not exist 
it would behoove man to invent him." Accordingly, this 
blood-thirsty revolutionist presented the following resolution, 
which was adopted by the Convention: "The French people 
acknowledge the existence of the Supreme Being and the 
immortality of the soul." The temples that had been con- 
verted to the worship of the Goddess of Reason were now 
consecrated to the worship of the Supreme Being. 

Strange as it may seem, yet at the very time when Robes- 
pierre was offering resolutions recognizing the existence of 
a Supreme Being and establishing the new worship, he was 
desolating France with murders and massacres of such ter- 
rible atrocity that the world had never seen its equal except 
in the most frightful days of Rome. The terrorism of the man 
was beyond conception. With self-organized power, his will 
became the ruling force of destiny. Lives to him were as 
nothing, so great was the execution of men, women and chil- 
dren. He was devoid of heart, soul, or conscience. The blind 



230 Christian Persecutions. 

fanaticism of ancient savagery controlled his power of reason. 
In the name of liberty he committed crimes unspeakable. He 
murdered thousands of human beings, blasphemed against 
God, and persecuted Christianity, and all in the name of the 
Republic of France. 

Persons opposed, or even suspected. 1 of opposition, were 
crowded to the guillotine in almost countless numbers. The 
prisons contained two hundred thousand persons suspected 
of sympathy against the reign of crime and destruction. By 
the swift process of the Revolutionary Tribunal justice became 
a mockery, a slave to passion, and a cloak to cover the sanc- 
tion of crime. So swift was judgment pronounced that not 
one, but ten, fifty, were dragged before the tribunal at once, 
and, without trial, except the accusation of their enemies, 
they were pronounced guilty and hurried to execution. 

The scenes around the guillotine were indescribable and 
beyond the powder of expression. People were devoid of pity, 
shame or conscience. They screamed with delight at the 
awful spectacle of bloodshed and death. They built benches 
around the guillotines to better witness the executions of the 
condemned. Special sewers were constructed to carry away 
the blood of the victims, and yet, in the frenzy of this Reign 
of Terror, women, whose natures abhor the scenes of strife, 
gloried in the awful butchery of human life. They forgot 
their womanhood, and in the cry for retribution they urged 
the executioner to more swiftly wield his knife of death. 

While this was the condition in Paris, yet, even worse, 
was the destruction of life in the cities of Toulon, Marseilles, 
Nantes, and Bordeaux, where the slow process of the guillo- 



The French Revolution. 231 

tine was superseded by a swifter mode of execution. Indi- 
viduals were bound together and thrown into the water; boats 
were crowded with victims and then scuttled; long- columns 
of condemned were mowed down with musket and cannon; 
rooms were filled with victims and then suffocated. By these 
various methods over fifteen thousand victims were massa- 
cred in a single month, and during the three months of Robes- 
pierre's wildest terror over thirty thousand were victims of 
this awful persecution. 

Terrible and inhuman as was this execution, still the 
blackest deed of horror is yet to be told 1 — a deed that stands 
without a parallel in all the annals of despotic crimes; a deed 
that blots the name of France, of liberty and fame; a deed 
so vile that hell itself revolts against its shame. This deed was 
the execution of three hundred innocent children, orphans of 
those who had suffered death by execution. In one night 
these children were gathered on the banks of the Loire and 
cast into the river, the mob crying: They are eggs of the 
reptile! Down with the brats, and they will never rise up to 
oppress us! 

The heart grows sick at the awful dispensation of crime 
from the mobs of infuriated men. Wild beasts kill to sate 
their thirst; men kill to gloat over the victory of oppression, 
and the wild frenzy of uncontrolled reason. They become 
madmen, despots, tyrants, and in their persecutions they lose 
their manhood, their honor and their God. They become 
slaves to passion, slaves to ambition, and slaves to eternal 
destruction. 

When we understand that forty-four thousand guillotines 



232 Christian Persecutions. 

were erected in France we may have some conception of the 
magnitude of the slaughter, and all the awful results in this 
Reign of Terror. Often a word, a tear, a look was enough 
to proclaim sympathy and send the unfortunate victim to his 
execution. 

At La Vendee, a district in the west of France, where 
piety and love for Christian worship was strongest in the 
hearts of the people, they suffered 1 the greatest indignities, 
cruelties, and murders. Its inhabitants had taken up arms in 
defense of their rights, and had gained some brilliant vic- 
tories. These disasters of the Republicans only infuriated 
their wild rage. New forces were gathered against the Chris- 
tians and with fire and sword they marched through this 
province, destroying farms, burning villages, and murdering 
every man, woman, and child who might fall in their way. 
Age nor sex had any immunity from these devils who 
traversed the country destroying every form of Christianity 
that might arise before them. Armed mobs, with the guillo- 
tine in their train, traversed every direction, and when cap- 
tures were made they were dragged to the wagon of death, 
there beheaded and the bodies left by the roadside. 

Terror, like a pestilence, was each day spreading farther 
and farther, demanding fresh victims to sate the thirst of 
these destroying angels. A black cloud of despotism and 
incarnate madness was brooding over France. Her victims 
were counted, not by hundreds, but by hundreds of thousands. 
The soil was drenched with the blood of innocence, and the 
whole fabric of social life was steeped in shame. 

But as all things come to an end, so, too, did the black 



The Fkench ^Revolution. 233 

days of France. The butcheries of Robespierre and his crea- 
tures had sated the thirst for human blood. The strain was 
too great for human endurance. The conscience of man, 
which had been covered by an insane desire for vengeance, 
was asserting itself. Reaction was made manifest everywhere.. 
Further crimes were considered unnecessary, and they began 
to turn with horror and pity from the blood-stained guillotine. 
Robespierre was being denounced as a tyrant. His terrible 
executions were coming home to demand the penalty of his 
despotism. Once more did the hatred of revolution break 
forth in all its ghastly form. Robespierre, himself, was the 
victim. Finding that his power was broken and that an out- 
raged nature had demanded his execution, he sought to end 
his life by his own hand. The shot only shattered his jaw- 
bone, and before he could again seek destruction he was seized 
by the mob, dragged through the streets, and at the house 
where he lived they halted for execution. A troop of women 
had gathered, who sang songs of levity, executed dances, and 
as his head fell, the whole crowd! clapped the'to 1 hands and 
shouted applause, and uttered curves on his memory. 

The waters of the bloody deluge began to subside, the 
greatest tyrant in all France had met the fate of his thousands 
of victims. The insane madness was over, and France had 
awakened from the ghastly dream of the Reign of Terror. 



(16) 



CHAPTER XIX. 

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 

/""\NE of the greatest generals the world ever produced 
^-^ was Napoleon Bonaparte — not great in deeds of charity 
v and Christian forbearance, but great in the deeds of heroic 
valor. His whole life was one of restless ambition. Born 
under the influence of military laws, cradled in national strife, 
and raised to manhood at the beginning of the most terrible 
revolution the worl'd ever saw, is it any wonder war and con- 
quest was the field of his ambition? 

His great strength lay in his power of perception, his swift- 
ness of action, his courage, and his discipline. His presence 
commanded enthusiasm, confidence, and inspiration. By intui- 
tion he saw the conditions, and with the boldness of assured 
confidence he struck his fatal blows. He knew his own 
strength and he knew the weakness of his enemy. He planned 
only to conquer. Retreat to him was impossible and could 
not be considered. The map of the world lay at his feet and he 
played his armies in the great chess game of nations. In the 
game of checkers we crown our kings, but in his game of 
nations he uncrowned them. Naught stood in the way . of 
his ambition. Even Church laws must bend to his will. Two 
Popes were imprisoned for refusing to obey his requirements. 
Laws, rules, and edicts of the Church were changed at his 
command. He would conquer Europe. He would bend the 
knee of the proud Briton, but alas! he met his Waterloo: 

234 



Napoleon Bonaparte. 235 

The star of destiny had set. The sun of his ambition was 
shrouded in darkness, and he died an exile, the victim of his 
own aspirations. 

His first appearance in the light of a powerful character 
was after the execution of Robespierre, July 28, 1794. The 
persecution against Catholics was somewhat abated. The gov- 
ernment and people were tired of bloodshed. The Jacobin 
clubs were closed, and this most infamous society which, 
during the Reign of Terror, directed the mobs and rabbles, 
was forced to yield to the dictates of reason. The deputies 
who had been compelled to leave during this stormy period 
were invited to return and resume their seats in the Conven- 
tion. The Catholic Church was not recognized, or considered, 
in the reestablishment of government power, but a proper 
form of worship was established by special order, and religious 
freedom again prevailed. 

The Terrorists were highly incensed at the adoption of 
any form of worship, declared open hostilities against the Con- 
vention and demanded that this new law should be repealed. 
The Convention was awed at the boldness of these victims of 
apostate philosophy, and when on October 5, 1795, they gath- 
ered a mob of forty thousand men and demanded a renuncia- 
tion of all Christianity on the penalty of death, they appealed 
to Napoleon to defend the new government. Here we find the 
marvelous execution of this great genius. Given command, 
he quickly forms into line a small army of men, and as the 
mob advance he met them with a storm of grapeshot, and 
before they could reform for a new attack, be had charged 
with all the impetuousness of his determined nature and sent 



236 Chkistian Peksecutions. 

them back in wild disorder. This decisive blow won for him 
the confidence of the new government, and France, at last, 
had found a man capable of controlling and directing its tre- 
mendous energies. 

The Reign of Terror had left chaos, confusion, ruin, and 
bloodshed. It had destroyed life, confiscated property, and 
ca'st a blackened cloud upon Christianity. In the name of 
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," it had condemned monarchies, 
denied the worship of God, strangled liberty of conscience, 
destroyed nobility, confiscated the wealth of the rich and exe- 
cuted thousands in the mad frenzy of rage. France was the 
victim of uncontrolled passion, infuriated mobs, and Atheistic 
philosophy. It was one boundless field of despotism. A tear, 
a sigh, was evidence of distrust, persecution, arid execution. 
While Napoleon was closer to the leaders of the great revolu- 
tion than the world knows, yet in the support of government 
he was faithful and true. He sought position through his 
sublime efforts. The mob of Terrorists was but the beginning 
of his great career. He was not tyrannical, but stern and 
unyielding. If men or nations differed with him, he demanded 
a surrender. 

A few weeks after Napoleon had defended the Convention 
and won his first great achievement, the Convention 
adjourned, having established the new government, laws, and 
constitution. There were three departments, similar to* all 
republican governments of to-day, only the executive depart- 
ment was vested in a Board of Directors. Up t'o this time the 
Republic had been on the defensive. The Board of Directors, 
under the great pleas of humanity, decided to fulfill its early 



Napoleon Bonaparte. 237 

promise to aid all nations to rise against despotism, destroy 
royalty, abolish class privilege, and become free and inde- 
pendent. The prospects of the new nation were so> grand in 
perception, so equal in society, and so national in government, 
they proposed to share with all governments in the great 
philosophy of the brotherhood of man. She would make all 
Europe like herself. Her communicative genius extended to 
other empires, and with the recent independence of America, 
the doctrine of self-government received favor and spread 
rapidly among the people of Europe. 

A prominent writer says: "Easily seduced herself, she 
easily seduces others." But for the prospect of freedom, social 
and political equality, which ever stirs the souls of men, Napo- 
leon would have opposition stronger and more fierce. The 
French armies were everywhere received and welcomed more 
as a friend than a foe. He was a foe to monarchies, but not 
a foe to man. He sought to give freedom and self-govern- 
ment to all people. Thus was France ena'bled to establish 
commonwealths and surround herself with powerful allies. 
She conquered Europe, not by her victories, but by her prom- 
ises. Victor Hugo says: "An invasion of armies may be 
resisted, but an invasion of ideas cannot be resisted." 

The ideas of Napoleon were in advance of public senti- 
ment. The times were not ripe for republican institutions. 
The people had been taught that kings held a divine right 
over nations. They felt the injustice of despotism, but were 
not competent to grasp the meaning of independence. They 
would follow blindly the philosophy of justice to all, but could 
not institute its enforcement. They were born under control 



238 Christian Persecutions. 

and knew nothing of political opposition. Kings must exist 
in the future, for they had existed in the past. And thus the 
republics established by Napoleon were short-lived. The 
people could not appreciate its meaning, and when the influ- 
ence of this master mechanic was directed in other channels, 
the powers of royalty gained ascendency and the fruits of 
conquest were lost. No, not lost, for in the reestablishment 
of monarchies a broader government was instituted, more in 
harmony with the rights of man. 

We will not enumerate the victories of Napoleon in Italy, 
in Austria, or Egypt. Republics were formed in Italy, and 
Austria ceded her Belgian provinces. The "Battle of the 
Pyramids" opened a victory to all Egypt. In 1799 he led 
his army to attack the Turks in Syria, but at Acre was 
defeated by an English army and returned to Egypt. His 
plans were now changed. Instead of a conquest of Persia, 
India, and all Southern Asia, he turned his eyes towards 
home. His army was worn and thinned in ranks. He was 
bitterly disappointed, and while he had conquered Egypt, yet 
he had lost the great ambition sought. He had not conquered 
Syria, and, like Alexander, stood at the foot of the Himalayas. 

We will now return to the affairs in France. Napoleon had 
been sent to Egypt by the Directory, more for fear of his 
presence in France, than for the victories he won. They knew 
his power among the people and secretly invested him with 
command for foreign conquests, believing that discretion was 
the better part of valor. While Napoleon was winning vic- 
tories in Egypt the armies of the Republic were victorious 
at home. In the year 1798 the French set up three new 



Napoleon Bonaparte. 239 

republics by conquest in Italy. These were the Tiberine, 
Helvetic, and Parthenopsean. The Tiberine, or Rornan Re- 
public, was established by the capture of Rome; the Hel- 
vetic, by an invasion of Switzerland, and the Parthenopaean 
was the capture of the little kingdom of Naples. 

In the capture of Rome a cruel plot was invented, which 
incited an insurrection against the Papal government. A 
street mob, which had been purposely stimulated to deeds of 
violence, attacked a French division, and General Duphot 
was killed. Troops were immediately ordered to invade 
Rome, capture the Pope and proclaim the Roman Republic. 
On the 15th of February, 1798, the Tiberine Republic was 
declared and the Pope was divested of all authority and car- 
ried away a prisoner. He was taken to Siena, thence to Flor- 
ence, and thence to Valence, where, in the agony of a broken 
heart, he died August 29, 1799. 

Probably no act of this new republic was less justifiable, 
less honorable, less Christian, than the capture of the Pope 
and holding him a prisoner until death. It was the intrigue of 
the old doctrine — no God, no Christ, no Resurrection. The- 
sophistry of Voltaire, the worship of Reason, still worked in 
the minds of the people, and this new persecution was but 
another attempt to overthrow the Church of Christ and 
establish religious anarchy, chaos, and confusion. 

The Pope scarcely murmured against the demands of his 
enemies. Like the Apostle Peter, he patiently submitted to 
persecution, believing that in God's own time wrongs would 
be righted, religious worship established, and the Church 
made strongeir and more enduring. He bowed his head in 



240 Christian Persecutions. 

meekness, and in silent supplication prayed to the God of his 
Fathers to protect his people, protect his Church, and protect 
the Great Gospel of Truth. He died August 29, 1799, a 
martyr to the ambition of France. But in his death grew a 
remonstrance of injustice, a feeling of loving pity, and a 
strong desire to establish the right. Like the persecutions of 
Roman Christians, these acts were but the workings of God's 
methods to clear away the soplhistry of Reason, establish 
Divine worship, and plant Christianity in the minds of all men. 

In this act of persecution the French Republic lost the 
respect of the nations of Europe. They denounced it as one 
of cruelty, oppression, and despotism. They sought to com- 
fort the Pope in words of consolation. They grieved to see 
the head of the Church ruthlessly torn from his place of 
worship, disarmed of authority, condemned to exile, and 
bowed down in grief and agony. While France may have 
looked upon the event as of human benefit, yet the whole 
world stood aghast at this cruel demonstration of power. 
What was lost in the victory of French armies was gained in 
the great triumph of filial love and affection. The martyrdom 
of the Pope broke the ice of indifference among the people of 
those nations who were lukewarm in worship, and in the future 
restoration the ties of love became stronger and the power of 
Truth more brilliant and everlasting. 

On the 1st of December, following the death of the Pope, 
thirty-five cardinals met in convention, or conclave, at Venice, 
and proceeded to elect a new head of the Catholic Church. 
On May 14, 1800, Barnabas Chiaramonti was elected Pope 
with the title of Pius VII. Under the patronage of the allied 
powers of Europe he was returned to Rome. 



Napoleon Bonaparte. 241 

The persecution of the Pope by the French Republic 
seems to have been followed with a series of disasters. The 
destruction of the French fleet by Nelson, the coalition of the 
leading powers of Europe against France, the disasters in 
Italy, seem to represent a judgment against the persecution 
of worship. While many of us miay not view these defeats 
as a judgment sent by God, yet the connection is so close, 
and the effect so just; that we can see the inevitable result of 
tyranny, ambition, and persecution. 

Early in 1799, war began in almost every part of Europe 
at the same time. The French were everywhere defeated in 
Italy and driven from their former fields of successes. It was 
only by the greatest efforts that the French Generals held the 
allied forces from entering on the soil of France. Victories 
were lost, the Republics of Tiberine and Parthenopsean were 
abolished, and in France the Directory was unpopular and the 
Republic on the verge of another revolution. The Jacobin 
clubs were again being organized. Confusion prevailed every- 
where. Divisions were being instituted, and grave appre- 
hension was felt throughout the Republic. The Directory were 
charged with exiling Napoleon by sending him to< Egypt, and 
desperation reigned supreme. 

The news of this desperate condition of the French people 
reached Napoleon soon after he returned to Egypt from his 
disastrous defeat in Syria. With his usual display of quick- 
ness of action, he formed a bold resolve. He would return 
to France, assume command of the armies, and commence 
a new deal. Placing his army under the command of Kleber, 
he disclosed his designs to his trusted officer in these signifi- 



242 Christian Persecutions. 

cant words: "The reign of the lawyers is over." How pro- 
phetic were his words! Subsequent events are only read to 
see the forethought and ambition of Napoleon. He returned 
to France and was welcomed by the wildest enthusiasm. 
Thousands of people paraded the streets shouting the name of 
Napoleon. They instinctively felt that this military chieftain 
could restore the fortunes of France, establish harmony, and 
restore peace and prosperity. Processions of immense mag- 
nitude were seen everywhere. Floats declaring Napoleon 
Dictator were cheered by the populace. Fireworks were given 
in honor of his return, and one unbounded demonstration of 
joy was the reception of France, not in Paris alone, but in 
every city and 'hamlet of the land. 

Napoleon was immediately appointed to the command of 
all the armies of France. The government of France was 
vested in a Board of Directors and two legislative bodies: 
The Council of Five Hundred and the Council of the Ancients 
— the latter embracing two> hundred and fifty persons, of 
whom no one could be under fifty years of age. Having 
planned the overthrow of this form of government, Napoleon 
appeared before the Council of Five Hundred and boldly 
made known his plans. The Council was ait first thunder- 
struck, dismayed, and astonished at the cool demands of 
Napoleon. Recovering from the shock of surprise, they 
denounced him, as a traitor, a public enemy, and a conspirator 
against the Republic. Napoleon did not stop to war with 
words, but withdrew from the chamber and sent in a file of 
grenadiers, who in a few minutes cleared the hall without 
firing a single shot. 



Napoleon Bonaparte. 243 

Those of the Council of Five Hundred wiho were favorable 
to Napoleon were now brought together by his brother 
Lucien, who was president of the Council. These, in connec- 
tion with the Council of Ancients, which was on his side, voted 
to abolish the Directory and establish an executive power 
of three persons, elected for ten years, and called Consul's. 
Napoleon was given the first or supreme power, under the 
title of First Consul. There was also established a Tribunate, 
a Council of State, a Legislative Chamber, and a Senate. 
These gave to> the people the appearance of a representative 
government, a new Republic, but in fact was the centering of 
all power in the hands of Napoleon. He was now in pos- 
session of absolute control. He was commander of all the 
armies, the head of legislative power, and in the eyes of the 
French people was a king of kings. His brilliant achieve- 
ments in the overthrow of the Reign of Terror, his conquests 
in Italy and Egypt, had dazzled their eyes, and when this new 
constitution was referred to them for endorsement the vote 
stood three millions against fifteen hundred. 



CHAPTER XX. 

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE— Continued. 

IV T APOLEON was now the Cromwell of France. He had 
* ^ overthrown the first French Republic. He stood as the 
First Consul, Dictator, Despot, and while it had closed forever 
the French Revolution and had established freedom of worship, 
yet the ambition of this Autocrat was to come in conflict with 
the Church of Rome. He was to demand the amendment of 
Church edicts, laws, rules, and regulations, because they were 
not in harmony with his views, plans, or relations. If the 
French Republic had persecuted the head of the Church while 
Napoleon was in Egypt, he, on his return, had not only per- 
secuted the new Pope, but had sought to extort from him 
changes in Church authority that were not in the interest of 
Christian discipline. Not content with absolute dictation over 
the physical conditions of France, he sought to dictate its 
spiritual wants. He would stand at the head of both Church 
and State. The new government was really a veiled military 
despotism. Its name was Republican, but in fact there was 
no absolute government except a military despotism. 

Napoleon was disappointed in not securing the recogni- 
tion of his government by Austria and England. These two 
countries regarded him as an upstart, a fortunate usurper, an 
arbitrary egotist, and in no way worthy of recognition. They 
believed that the throne of France belonged, by virtue of 

244 



Napoleon Bonaparte. 245 

divine right, to the royal family of Bourbons. But Napoleon 
determined to teach these countries the necessity of recogniz- 
ing him as the head of a great nation. He mustered his 
armies and planned to attack Austria by a double blow. One 
army, under Moreau, was sent to invade Germany, and the 
other, under his own command, crossed the Alps, and in the 
spring of 1800 gained his memorable victory upon the 
renowned field of Marengo. In this battle the Austrians were 
completely overwhelmed, and for a second time Italy lay at 
the feet of Napoleon. On the very day of the battle of 
Marengo, Kleber was assassinated, and the French army in 
Egypt soon surrendered to the English. But these reverses 
were soon balanced by fresh victories in Europe. Moreau 
won a decisive victory over the Austrian's at Hohenlinden, 
and Emperor Francis II was forced to sue for peace, which 
was signed February, 1801. The emperor also recognized 
the Batavian, Helvetian, Ligurian, and Cisalpine Republics. 
In March, 1802, the English government was willing to rec- 
ognize the sovereignty of Napoleon and sign articles of peace, 
which was done, and for some time it remained unbroken. 

Having accomplished his desire to compel the Austrians 
and English to acknowledge his government, he now turned 
his attention to the improvement and reform of the internal 
affairs of France. That he was powerful in the establishment 
of industries, of architecture, of engineering, was evidenced by 
the wonderful prosperity which followed. His great military 
road over the Alps surpasses in bold constructure the most 
difficult feats of ancient Roman engineering. His far-reaching 
mind saw that the strength of government was not alone in 



246 Christian Persecutions. 

arms, but in education, commerce, arts and sciences, and all 
that advances the pride and prosperity of a nation. These he 
established with lavish outlay of public funds. Institutions of 
learning, museums, libraries, theaters, public works, were 
established on so grand a scale that the pride of the French 
people became a new institution of purpose. They were 
proud of their Napoleon, proud of their abilities, proud of 
their achievements. The great chieftain had won the hearts 
of his people in war and in peace. Not only had he expanded 
their abilities in all the pursuits of life, but he opened the 
churches, reestablished the Christian Sunday, and priests who 
had refused to> take the oath of allegiance to the "Constitution 
of the year III" (1795) were released from prison, where they 
had been subjected to cruel tyranny for years. The Roman 
Catholic religion was declared to be the religion of the French 
people, and the clergy were provided with government annu- 
ities for their Christian service. The public credit was 
strengthened and general confidence among the people was 
established. 

In order to promote a competition in all the pursuits of 
life, he established a system of Merits by which honor was 
conferred upon those who won in these distinctive features of 
competition. None were excluded. The lowly in birth stood 
upon the same platform as those of royal blood. It was the 
development of character and worth he sought to reward. 
This system was called the Legion of Honor, and was the 
great incentive power of action. This was the first time the 
people of France had been given an opportunity of developing 
their abilities in the equal contest of competition. Previous to 



Xapoleon Bonaparte. 247 

the Reign of Terror there had been no avenue by which the 
common people could receive praise, honor, or merit. It was 
an incentive to higher purposes, higher aspirations, and 
higher plans of life. It became popular in every rank of labor, 
in the study of art, of language, and in the inventive genius 
of the people. In the army it was the stimulus for better 
discipline, better thoughts of patriotism, and better courage 
in the defense of right, truth, and justice. It was everywhere 
accepted as one of the marvelous developments of Xapoleon. 

Popular as was the Order of Merit, yet the adoption of 
the celebrated '"Code Xapoleon'- was the crowning glory of 
his internal achievements. This code guaranteed to even- 
person equal rights, under the law, in the pursuits of happi- 
ness and in the protection of property. It was enacted in 
1S03 and 1804. It destroyed even- principle of inequality, of 
iniquitous, oppressive customs, of all the rules, regulations 
and laws that were inherited from the feudal ages. It gave 
to the peasant the same rights as to the noble, and is to-day 
the foundation of law in France, Switzerland, Germany. Italy, 
Holland and Belgium. It is said of Xapoleon, had he done 
nothing else save to give this code to Europe, he would have 
conferred an inestimable benefit upon mankind. When it is 
known that there existed in France nearly three hundred 
different systems of laws, it is easy to understand that the 
adoption of the "Code Xapoleon-'' was a grand step in the 
harmony of law and order. 

Xapoleon now held the most prominent and proudest 
position of any man in the world. The greatness of his mili- 
tary genius was rung from nation to nation and from conti- 



248 Christian Persecutions. 

nent to continent. Europe was bewildered by his brilliant 
military successes, and in the excellency of his government 
they saw the splendor of (his power of execution. Although 
arbitrary in the execution of laws, yet the hearts of his coun- 
trymen swelled with pride and adoration. He had won their 
love and affection, and in their abiding confidence his will was 
their wi'll and his power was their power. Had he been less 
ambitious he might have made France the grandest and most 
powerful nation on earth. Not content with the development 
of internal energy, he sought to extend his power of empire, 
until all Europe was obliged to band themselves together 
for mutual protection, not so much against France, as against 
her aggressive ruler. 

In 1802 the people of France were so eager to reward 
Napoleon for his great services, and for the purpose of con- 
tinuing his magnificent schemes of government in an un- 
broken succession, voted him Consul for life, with the power 
to name his successor. Thus was he nearing the goal of his 
ambition — an empire, with absolute control, and Napoleon 
Bonaparte its emperor. 

In 1804 the enemies of Napoleon sought to conspire 
against his life, and in their extended activity the people 
resolved to increase his power, and make more stable the 
government he had founded. They would change their repub- 
lic to an empire, and crown Napoleon as its first emperor. 
Accordingly, a decree was submitted to the people, and by an 
almost unanimous vote it was approved and ratified. 

Let us now return to the relations existing between Napo- 
leon and the Catholic Church. On becoming First Consul 



Napoleon Bonaparte. 249 

he opened negotiations with Pope Pius VII for the purpose 
of establishing a new agreement between his government and 
the Church. The demands of Napoleon were so immoderate 
that it was with great difficulty they reached an understanding. 
On July 15, 1801, a new Concordat was accepted, by which 
the Church made great concessions to the French govern- 
ment. In this new agreement Napoleon guarantees public 
worship, if in the judgment of the government the public 
safety is not endangered. In article eleven he denies a return 
of confiscated property, leaving the possessor in undisturbed 
possession. This was a hard blow to the Church. Having 
been stripped of all property, they were now denied' a right 
of recovery. They were poor, needy, and dependent. Yet the 
French government would neither restore their estates, nor 
endow their seminaries or institutions of learning. Also, 
Napoleon demanded the right to nominate the bishops, thus 
dispossessing the Church of its right to govern itself. But 
the Pope was overjoyed at the restoration of religious wor- 
ship, even if it were conducted under the supervision and con- 
trol of the police. The Catholic Religion was miade the wor- 
ship of the French people, and although the Pope had sur- 
rendered much of Church authority, yet he was happy 
in the freedom which had been so long denied. 

Not content with concessions wrung from the Pope, Napo- 
leon, some months later, annexed to these agreements seventy- 
seven " Organic Articles'' which cancelled several important 
provisions of the Concordat, and restored Gallicanism to its 
ancient state, which restricted the Papal authority in France, 
making it dependent more upon the will of the government. 

(17) 



,250 Christian Persecutions. 

The Church authorities protested by every means passible 
against these articles, but no attention whatever was paid to 
their entreaties. Napoleon was, deaf to all protestations. It 
was his idea of ecclesiastical duty, and his idea must prevail. 
Being at the head of the French nation all things, Church and 
State, must submit to his dictation. 

On May 8, 1804, Napoleon was proclaimed Emperor. An 
invitation was sent to Pius VII to come to Paris and crown 
him under the usual forms and ceremonies. Many cardinals 
and Church officials tried to dissuade the Pope from accept- 
ing the invitation. The course pursued by Napoleon in regard 
to arbitrary authority against the Church gave the feeling that 
the Pope should have nothing to do with the formal dedication 
of the state to the authority of the new emperor. But, as the 
Pope always considered the best interest of his people, he 
overlooked his disappointment and set out for Paris in 
response to the wishes of Napoleon, where, on the 2d of 
December, the coronation took place. Here was performed 
a ceremony that was peculiar and significant. The Pope, 
after performing the necessary rites, declined to place the 
crown, whereupon Napoleon took the emblem of authority 
and set it on his own head. 

From this time forward the relations of Napoleon to the 
Holy See became less and less mutual. And While the em- 
peror sougiht to benefit the Church in various ways, yet in 
return for his favors he sought complete dominion over her. 
It was his will that the Pope should be under his supervision, 
or control, and when he requested him to regard the emperor's 
enemies as foes to himself, he had gone to the extreme limit 
of sacrifice. 



Napoleon Bonaparte. 251 

Napoleon also asked the Pope to grant several other 
requests, among which are the following: 

He would have him acknowledge his brother Joseph as 
King of Naples. 

Recognize Talleyrand as Prince of Benevento. 

Bernadotte as Prince of Fonte Corvo. 

Break the marriage between his brother Jerome and Miss 
Patterson. 

Closing his harbors to the enemies of the emperor. 

These requests the Pope positively refused, and in per- 
secution of these denials, General Miollis entered Rome 
February 2, 1808, where the Pope was subjected tt'o gross out- 
rages, and his cardinals banished. On May 17, 1809, an 
imperial edict was published, announcing that the remainder 
of the States of the Church would no longer be under Papal 
authority, but annexed to the French Empire. 

This wholesale confiscation of Church authority was 
replied to by a bull of excommunication, and a special pro- 
test against the unwarranted attack against the Pope. For 
this execution of duty the Pope was taken prisoner by General 
Radet, and, in company with his Secretary of State, Cardinal 
Pecca, was taken to Grenoble. The Cardinal was imprisoned 
in the fortress of Fenestrella, while the Pope was taken to 
Savona. 

Napoleon now determined upon a new plan to extort from 
the Pope a consent to his wishes. He ordered the cardinals 
to come to Paris. Through their influence he hoped to change 
the mind of the Pope, but in this he was disappointed. The 
Pope remained firm in his defense of Church government. 



252 Christian Persecutions. 

Napoleon, through the Ecclesiastical Commission, convoked a 
National Council at Paris, and a lengthy debate ensued. The 
Council demanded the liberation of the Pope, sent an address 
to the emperor, and declared itself incompetent to decide on 
the main question brought before it. Napoleon imprisoned 
the most courageous bishops, and by extortions obtained a 
portion of the concessions desired, although up to this time 
he had not obtained what he sought. 

A deputation was now sent to Savona to confer with the 
Pope and obtain his consent. Being thus besieged and de- 
serted by his counsellors, and desiring to prevent greater dis- 
aster to the Church, he reluctantly granted further conces- 
sions, but positively refused to> grant the full wishes of the 
emperor. The Pope was now taken sick, and although he 
was not expected to live, and had even taken the last sacra- 
ment, yet he was compelled to continue his journey, arriving 
at Fontainebleau, June 20, 1812. 

After the memorable defeat of Napoleon by the Russians, 
in the winter of 1812-1813, he again extorted from the Pope 
new articles of concessions, but upon further consideration the 
Pope recalled his new agreements and insisted that these 
articles could not become a part of a new Concordat and 
law of the empire. The victories of the allied forces of Europe 
over Napoleon prevented any further contests between the 
emperor and the Church. The Pope was set at liberty in 
March, 1814, and on May 24 made his triumphal entry into 
Rome. 

Thus was the Church once more freed from the tyrannical 
dictation of the renowned emperor. He had defeated the 



Napoleon Bonaparte. 253 

armies of Europe, and in return had been defeated, captured, 
and exiled, and in his long solitude upon the island of St. 
Helena he had ample time to reflect upon the atrocity of the 
crimes he had committed against the Pope and his authority, 
and how in the fullness of Divine promises the Church was 
made stronger and more enduring. 

Thus died one of the greatest military geniuses tfhe world 
ever saw. But alas! his treatment of Christianity was cruel 
and inhuman. He thought not of the future or the here- 
after. He thought not of the soul or of immortality. He 
thought not of Christ or His Church. He played his soul 
in the great maelstrom of conflict, and sought wisdom only 
in his own strength. He came a conquering hero, but died 
alone and friendless. He built up edifices of man, but tore 
down the temples of God. He established the principles of 
liberty, but demanded absolute sovereignty. He was just, 
yet he was unjust. He was honorable, yet he was dishonor- 
able. He was loyal, and yet he was disloyal. He professed a 
faith in Christ, and yet he denied His holy servants. He was 
the friend of France, yet he was her worst enemy. He died, 
yet he still lives. He lives in the successes of his energies, 
in the establishment of government, in the industries of his 
creation, and in the memory of his countrymen, Peace be 
to his ashes. May his wisdom be perpetuated, and may his 
follies and crimes be forgotten. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH. 

THE origin of the Church of England is known to all 
students of history, and may be summarized as follows : 

1. Henry VIII, of England, desired to obtain a divorce 
from his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and thus be free to marry 
Anne Boleyn, a beautiful and vivacious maid of honor in the 
queen's household. 

2. The king petitioned Pope Clement VII to grant a sus- 
pension of Church authority and allow the divorce and second 
marriage. 

3. The Pope refused to grant the request. 

4. Henry, being highly indignant at the Pope's refusal to 
violate the sacred tenets of marriage vows, declared himself 
Supreme Head of the English Catholics and compelled the 
clergy to recognize him as such. 

5. Thomas Cranmier was promoted to the office of Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, who, being a servile follower of the 
king, pronounced the marriage with Catherine invalid, and iiie 
one the king had already secretly contracted with Anne 
Boleyn to be lawful. 

6. On March 23, 1534, the Pope cancelled this decision, 
which brought a complete rupture between the Pope and 
Henry. 

7. The same year the Pope excommunicated Henry and 
relieved his subjects from their allegiance to him. 

254 



Origin of the English Church. 255 

8. Persecution of Catholics by Henry and the establish- 
ment of the English Church. 

At the time of the beginning of this chapter the people of 
England were devout Catholics. So earnest was Henry VIII 
in his zeal that Leo X, in 1521, rewarded him with the title 
of "Defender of the Faith." At this time Martin Luther, an 
apostate monk, attempted to spread his new religion by scat- 
tering broadcast among the people his articles of faith and rea- 
sons for denouncing the Catholic Church. Henry was highly 
indignant at his audacity, and wrote articles strongly denounc- 
ing Luther for his religious opposition. For his earnest labors 
in condemning Martin Luther he was rewarded by this special 
title, but strange to say, this most zealous of Christians after- 
wards became the bitterest enemy of the Catholic Church. 
From our standpoint of to-day it is hard to see how an ear- 
nest Christian can forsake his Church and become its enemy, 
but when we consider the make-up of the man, his willful 
and impetuous disposition, and his selfish propensities, we 
need not wonder at his traitorous conduct. 

The reasons for this sudden denunciation of faith was, not 
one of conscience, but one of a licentious and political nature. 
Henry's marriage with Catherine had been prompted by policy 
and not by love. Five children had been born, but all had 
died except a daughter named Mary, who was in delicate 
health and might not reach womanhood, thus cutting off any 
direct heirship to his throne. Considering this question, and 
having become infatuated with the beauty and brilliancy of 
Anne Boleyn, he determined to secure a divorce from Cath- 
erine and take Anne as wife. Knowing that divorces were 



256 Christian Persecutions. 

not permitted by the Catholic Church, he sought to evade 
the marriage law on the grounds of illegality, and petitioned 
the Pope to annul it. This the Pope refused to do, and by 
the advice of Thomas Cromwell, a servile follower of the king, 
Henry decided to appoint Crammer, a Cambridge doctor, 
who supported him by publishing articles in favor of the 
divorce, to the high position of Archbishop of Canterbury. 
This new bishop immediately established a court, tried the 
case, and, of course, decided that the first marriage was not 
lawful because Catherine was the widow of his brother. The 
bishop also decided that the king's marriage with Anne 
Boleyn, though secret, was legal and in harmony with the 
Church. 

The Pope immediately excommunicated Henry, who de- 
termined on revenge and called Parliament, who, not daring 
to thwart the wishes of the king, passed the Act of Supremacy, 
which conferred upon Henry the absolute control of the vari- 
ous departments of the Church in England. By this act 
he was to be recognized as the Supreme Head, given control 
of its offices and revenues. In order to completely establish 
himself as the Supreme Head, an act was passed making a 
denial of this title as high treason. Henry was now given, 
not only the control of the Church, but the power to condemn 
to death anyone who might deny his right. This was indeed 
a most lamentable position for the Catholics to occupy. To 
protest against the law was treason and to respect it was 
against their teachings of faith, but we must not censure these 
people too severely for yielding to the terrible declaration of 
the law. They were allowed to worship, but it must be in 
accordance with law. 



Origin of the English Church. 257 

By the enactment of this statute the Church was com- 
pletely severed from the Roman See. Catholics were, under 
penalty of death, obliged to worship under the new dispensa- 
tion, which became the Established Church of England. Thus 
we have a condensed history of how and why this church came 
into existence, and we will now briefly recite some of the 
persecutions which followed. 

King Henry had now established a little Popedom of his 
own invention, without divine authority, and in hostile opposi- 
tion to all laws, edicts, and commands of the Catholic. Church. 
He had declared himself greater than the Pope, and under the 
laws passed by his dictation he was dictator of how people 
should worship, what should be their belief, and what should 
be condemned. Among the doctrines he condemned were 
holy pilgrimages, belief in purgatory, representations of Christ 
and the Holy Virgin, historic relics, convents, monasteries, 
penance, and all forms of Pope authority. In the suppression 
of monasteries and convents it was a complete comflscaition of 
all property; and if there was even murmuring alt his unjust and 
high-handed acts, they were convicted of treason and executed. 
The executioner's ax was constantly wet with the blood of all 
those who opposed his authority, or in any way incurred his 
displeasure. He required the head of every family, and teach- 
ers of schools, to teach the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Command- 
ments, and the new creed. But, strange to say, Henry com- 
manded, under penalty of death, an observance of the main 
tenets of the Catholic dogma, which were: Transubstantia- 
tion, Communion, Celibacy of the clergy, Vows, Mass for the 
dead, and auricular confession. By sustaining these articles 



258 Christian Persecutions. 

of faith many Catholics were made contented, not knowing 
nor realizing the conflict between Henry and the Church of 
Rome. 

In the confiscation of property nearly one-fifth of the lands 
of the kingdom belonged to the Church, which was turned to 
the control of the king, who disposed of it to the greatest 
advantage to himself. He founded schools and colleges; es- 
tablished incomes for the support of churches and bishoprics; 
made donations to officers and favorites, but the greater por- 
tion was distributed among those whose influence was neces- 
sary to sustain him in his new position. By this wholesale 
disposition of property vast estates were established which 
created a powerful English aristocracy, which to-day is in 
existence and can be traced to this origin. Thus was the 
English Church and its most devoted followers financially 
rewarded by the self-appointed Supreme Head. To call this 
new Creed Protestant would be an, injustice to the orthodbx 
belief, and to call it Catholic would be an insult to the Church 
of Rome, who denied the illegal marriage, who refused to 
violate the laws of marriage, and who excommunicated their 
Supreme Head for this violation. 

The extent of confiscation may be realized when history 
informs us that, altogether, there were 90 colleges, 110 hos- 
pitals, 2,374 chantries and chapels, 645 monasteries, and 540 
convents broken up and the property given to advance the 
cause of the new Church and the popularity of Henry him- 
self. The establishment of lands for the benefit of churches 
was a move to place the new church upon a solid financial 
foundation, for in all ages, money, lands, wealth, is a great 



Origin of the English Church. 259 

physician in easing the consciences of men. Henry was the 
physician and the confiscated property the prescription that 
gave life, strength and ambition to the Church of England. 

If this, only, had been the record of Henry VIII we might 
view his acts as those of ambition, but his apostasy, denuncia- 
tion, confiscation, and bribery, pale beneath the malignant 
persecution of Catholics. Nero was always a pagan and knew 
nothing of Christianity, but Henry was raised a Catholic, wor- 
shiped a Catholic, defended the faith as a Catholic, but to 
gratify his lust, his power, and his ambition, he became one 
of the greatest apostates the world ever saw. His only excuse 
was his passions. He had no cause to denounce, no religion 
to disagree with, and no philosophy to advance. His denun- 
ciations were the most corrupt, vicious, immoral, and depraved 
that have been recorded in the pages of English history. When 
we speak of the atrocious crimes which he committed against 
his subjects we shudder at its wickedness. The illustrious Sir 
Thomas More, the aged Bishop Fisher, the St. Thomas 
Becket, became victims of execution. Also, we find recorded 
that he ordered the execution of two queens, two cardinals, 
two archbishops, eighteen bishops, thirteen abbots, five hun- 
dred priors and monks, thirty-eight doctors of divinity and 
laws, one hundred and twenty-four commoners, sixty-four 
gentlemen, twelve dukes and earls, and one hundred and ten 
ladies of rank, and all because their conscience would not allow 
them to denounce their worship and become apostates to the 
Catholic Church. They refused to recognize the king as the 
Supreme Head of the Churchy and lay down their lives as a 
sacrifice to their fidelity to truth, honor, and Christian faith. 



260 Christian Persecutions. 

Besides this, we find in his own household a history as 
monstrous as the history of his Christian apostasy. To expose 
his private life is to write a disgraceful page in the history 
of the kings of England. After disposing; of Catherine of 
Aragon by a forced divorce, he marries the beautiful and ac- 
complished Anne Boleyn, but tiring of her, he issues a charge 
of unworthiness and she is executed by his own order. The 
next day after the execution of Anne he married Jane Sey- 
mour, who died the following year. His fourth wife was Anne 
of Cleves, who was cast aside on the grounds of a, previous 
betrothal, and Catherine Howard became the next victim to 
his shameful lust and cruelty. Like Anne Boleyn, she was 
executed at his command, and gave room for his sixth wife, 
Catherine Parr, who was a discreet woman, and by tact and 
wisdom managed to retain his respect add survived his death. / 

This tyrant died in 1547, in the th'irty-eight'h year of his 
reign. And now, as we look back to his history and see the 
inconsistency of his request to Pope Clement VII, and the 
\illainy of outraged decency, criminal responsibility, and the 
desecration of God's holy command, we can have only loath- 
ing and disgust for his memory. He lived a life of depravity 
and disgrace; a life of murderous sin; a life of blasphemous 
shame; a life devoid of every Christian principle, every Chris- 
tian form of reverence, and every Christian virtue. And yet 
society glories in his existence, and glories in its long line of 
ancestry. He established a nobility on the ruins of confisca- 
tion, rapine and murder. He executed queens, nobles, and 
illustrious men. He desecrated churches, schools, colleges, 
and burned -their sacred vestments. He bribed ministers of the 



Origin of the English Church. 261 

gospel, prostituted Parliament, established his own courts, 
villified God and served Satan in all the wickedness of thought, 
deed, and action. 

Few men in the world's history can carry the record of 
Henry VIII. His triumphs through disgrace is a long line of 
wicked villainy, and without one act to commend, he stands a 
monument to himself, a mass of sickening sensuality, of honest 
loathing, and of beastly triumph. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

HEIRS OF HENRY VIII. 

EDWARD VI. 

LADY JANE GBEY. 

QUEEN MARY. 
QUEEN ELIZABETH. 

MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS. 

JAMES I. 

IN the complication of Henry VIH's many marriages and 
divorces, the question of succession to the throne of Eng- 
land became one of a peculiar controversy, therefore Parlia- 
ment passed a decree conferring upon Henry the right to 
determine by will this line of succession, which wa's declared 
as follows: 

He directed the right of the crown to fall first upon his 
only son, Edward, by Jane Seymour. If Edward should die 
without issue, then it would fall to Mary, daughter of Cather- 
ine of Aragon, and with Mary dying without children, then 
the crown would fall upon Elizabeth, daughter of Anne 
Boleyn. Strange as it may seem, yet each of these lines of 
succession occupied the throne and died without leaving de- 
scendants. 

EDWARD VI. 

Henry VIII died in 1547, and Edward, then a child of only 
nine years, was declared by the provisions of the will the suc- 
cessor to Henry as the rightful heir to the throne. But as the 

262 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 263 

child was not of sufficient age the government was vested 
in a board of regents, composed of both Protestants and 
Catholics. In this selection the will was disregarded, and 
selections were maide by Parliament as, in their judgment, 
would best fill the requirements for the hartnlony of the people. 

In this board of regents the Protestants usurped authority 
and conducted the government in the interest of their party. 
They overruled the advice and religious desires of the Cath- 
olic minority, and sought by every means in their power to 
teach Protestantism wherever possible. The young king was 
carefully instructed in the doctrine of the Reformers, and 
changes were made in the creed and service of the new Church 
of England. 

In order that there might be a systematic service in the 
teachings of this form of worship, Archbishop Cranmer pre- 
pared the Catechism of the English Book of Common Prayer, 
and the first copy was issued in 1549. In the preparation of 
this Prayer-Book the Archbishop called together a commis- 
sion of bishops and learned theologians, and in using the mis- 
sals and breviaries of the Catholic Church, to some extent 
quieted the convictions and sentknleiilts of the Catholic people. 
While it was designed to cunningly deceive and to cover up 
the real principles and tenets of this new faith, yet to the ardent 
Catholic there was plainly written the full object desired, and 
a determined resistance was made manifest. This book was 
a translation of the old Latin service books witih changes suffi- 
cient to conform to the new doctrine, and is the same that is 
in use to-day by the Anglican Church. 

In 1552, forty-two Articles of Religion were published for 



264 Christian Persecutions. 

a full government of faith and its proper observance. These 
articles were finally reduced to thirty-nine, and remain to the 
present time as a compendious creed of the Church of Eng- 
land. To enforce an observance of these sweeping changes 
all teachers and clergymen were compelled to subscribe to 
these articles and publicly proclaim this new faith. A refusal 
to submit to these royal edicts was met with severe punish- 
ment and penalties of imprisonment. In the enactment of 
"Acts for the Uniformity of Service," a stringent law was 
posted and a long line of punishments declared. 

In the adoption of the new articles of worship a royal 
decree was instituted J)y which the Churches were despoiled 
of their emblems of faith. All pictures, images, and crucifixes 
were removed, and the use of tapers, incense, and holy water 
forbidden. The veneration of the Virgin Mary, and the invo- 
cation of the saints were prohibited, while Purgatory was 
denounced as a superstition, and prayers for the dead inter- 
dicted. Besides these denials of faith, the established usage of 
celibacy of the priests was annulled, the real or bodily presence 
of Christ in the bread and wine of the sacrament denied, and 
that the service of the Church should no> longer be said in 
Latin, but in the language of the people. 

Many persons were imprisoned for a disobedience or re- 
fusal to conform to this new worship. While a persecution to 
death was not a penalty for infidelity to law, yet in two in- 
stances, at least, "heretics and con'tumners of the Book of 
Common Prayer'' were burned. Still, it can be said of the 
government of Edward VI that persecutions were at a stand- 
still, as only those who most desperately declared against this 
new innovation were punished'. 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 265 

Probably no quieter or more determined resistance against 
the adoption of the faith of the Church of England could be 
found than was exhibited by Mary, daughter of Catherine of 
Aragon. Repeated attempts were made to entreat her to 
adopt the religion of her farther, Henry VIII, and her half 
brother, Edward, now on the throne. She was warned that 
the toleration of Mass even in her own private chapel could 
not be endured. For two years Emperor Charles V labored 
in vain to prevent this individual persecution, even declaring 
he would wage war against England. Still the almost inces- 
sant torment of threats and appeals went on. 

The Protestant Party saw the failing health of Edward, 
and in a very short time, according to the will of Henry, Mary 
must become the reigning queen. To pass from a Protestant 
to a Catholic government, was debated with great alarm. 
Many intrigues and plots were devised to' circumvent this 
more than possibility. Edward was anxious to continue his 
father's religion, and with his own hand drew a proposed law 
which was to regulate the succession to his throne. After 
preparing this proposition, he summoned his judges with the 
attorney and solicitor-general, and laid the matter before them. 
They hesitated to acknowledge his right to declare succession, 
but the king commanded them to prepare an act for Parlia- 
ment. The Duke of Northumberland became angry and pas- 
sionately declared he would not submit to this usurping of 
authority. Even Cranmer was at first opposed, but the young 
king became so earnest in his declarations to maintain his 
father's religion that he prevailed. The act was prepared, and 
all the members of the council gave it their approval, and the 
great seal was placed upon it. 

(18) 



266 Christian Persecutions. 

Again were attempts made to induce Mary to give up her 
determination to remain faithful to the Catholic Church. The 
young king bewailed himself over the obstinacy of his sister 
and that of allowing Mass in any part of his kingdom, but 
Mary remained constant and determined in her resolution. 
She said: "If the chaplain cannot say Mass, I shall not hear 
it, but the new service shall not be established in my house. 
If it is introduced there by force I shall leave the place." 

Mary continued to receive her priests, and without ques- 
tion in the private sanctity of her own chapel she continued 
to hear Mass, and to nourish in her heart an enduring love 
lor the Catholic faith. While Mary was never seeking to 
induce others to accept her religion, yet others were con- 
stantly seeking to impress upon her that there was a duty 
she owed England and her father, to follow in the adopted 
church of her government. To this she would never consent. 
Her love was her duty, and her future power should be to 
sustain it. 

On the 6th of July, 1553, at the age of fifteen and one-half 
years, the king of England, Edward VI, died. A question 
now arose which was most interesting to all the people of 
England. Would the reigning sovereign be a Protestant, or 
would it revert to the control of the Catholics ? If, according 
to the act of Parliament under Henry VIII, the will of Henry 
is recognized, then Mary has the right of succession, but if 
under the sovereign law of Edward, then Lady Jane Grey 
would become queen and the Protestant Party would prevail. 
But in this the Protestants were doomed to disappointment, 
as the following chapter will explain : 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 267 

QUEEN MARY. 

We now open a new history in the great reformation of 
England. Henry VIII had established an independent relig- 
ion. He had severed his government, both spiritual and tem- 
poral, from the Church of Rome, and in the establishment of 
the Church of England he had destroyed the last existing tie 
between him and the Pope. He had been excommunicated 
and in return had renounced forever his allegiance to the Holy 
See. Edward had died, and in the line of his own succession 
Mary was the rightful heir and must be crowned Queen of 
England. The attempt of the Duke of Northumberland and 
others, to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne, met with dis- 
favor from Protestants and Catholics alike, and in the reac- 
tion disaster overtook the leaders of the movement, and being 
convicted of treason were executed. 

For the benefit of history it is but proper to state that Lady 
Jane Grey belonged to the royal family of Henry VIII, and is 
explained as follows : 

Henry VII, King of England, had three children, Henry 
VIII, Margaret, and Mary. To Henry VIII belonged Ed- 
ward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth; to Margaret, Mary Stuart, 
by James V of Scotland ; and to Mary, Lady Jane Grey, by the 
Duke of Suffolk. 

It is, therefore, easy to see that through the illegal mar- 
riages of Henry VIII, that both lines of his sisters, Margaret 
and Mary, might legally succeed to the throne. 

After the death of Edward the conspiracy of the Duke of 
Northumberland was put into immediate effect. He appeared 
before Lady Jane Grey and informed her of his plans and 



268 Christian Persecutions. 

expectations. He said: "Lady Jane Grey, the King, your 
cousin and our sovereign lord, has surrendered his soul to % 
God, but before his death, and in order to preserve his king- 
dom from the infection of Popery, he resolved to set aside 
his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, declared illegitimate by an act 
of Parliament, and he has commanded us to proclaim your 
Grace as queen and sovereign to succeed him." At this 
moment the Lords and Council knelt before her and swore 
fidelity to the cause of Lady Jane. So impressed and startled 
was she by this revelation that she fell to the floor, but on 
being restored to consciousness she raised her head with mod- 
est confidence and said: "If the right is mine, I hope that God 
will give me strength to bear the scepter for his glory and the 
happiness of the people of England." 

She was immediately conducted to the Tower, the place 
where sovereigns usually reside before their coronation. Criers 
were sent through the streets proclaiming the death of Edward. 
They also proclaimed the act of Parliament making the suc- 
cession of Mary and Elizabeth illegal and that of Lady Jane 
Grey the rightful claimant to the throne, and as such she was 
now in waiting to be crowned queen. No enthusiasm was 
made manifest by these declarations. The people did not wish 
to change the line of succession as adopted, and they whis- 
pered among themselves that Mary was the rightful heir. 

In the country the people became intensely interested, and 
being largely Catholic in sentiment were determined to pro- 
tect Mary in her demand to the Council for recognition of 
her rights. Mary had promised to change none of the laws 
instituted by Edward, therefore many Protestants were earnest 



Heies of Heney VIII. 269 

in their declarations of fealty. The Earl of Pembroke declared 
that, "If reasons do not suffice, this sword shall make Mary 
queen, or I shall die in her cause." Even the Duke of Suf- 
folk joined in his profession of loyalty to' Mary and basely 
deserted his own daughter. 

The streets of London were again listening, but this time 
to the declarations of those who stood by Mary and loudly 
applauded her rights to the throne. At St. Paul's Cross, 
where a week before Bishop Ridley preached in favor of 
Protestant succession they now cheered the apparent triumphs 
of the Catholics. Mary was everywhere declared the sover- 
eign queen of England, and no force could change the verdict. 

Lady Jane was arrested on the charge of treason by the 
usurping of power, having been queen ten days, and was im- 
prisoned. The Duke of Northumberland, Sir John Gates, and 
Sir Thomas Palmer, the leaders of this high-treason, were 
arrested, tried, and executed. Queen Mary was repeatedly 
urged to rid herself of Lady Jane, but declined, as she pitied 
the little usurper, declaring that she was more the tool of 
others than an instrument in herself. 

The Catholic Party was now triumphant. Mary was an 
earnest Christian, and sought to establish worship in all the 
realm. She had forgotten her promise not to undo the laws 
of Edward, but in her Catholic zeal she could see only the 
establishment of her faith and worship. The Emperor Charles 
V was her constant adviser, and recommended prudence, 
leniency, and a toleration of worship. Severity was set 
aside as not a wise policy in the administration of religious 
affairs. The Emperor counseled moderation, and besought 



270 Christian Persecutions. 

Mary to be slow in demanding radical changes in the wor- 
ship of the people. But the fervent convictions of Mary could 
not be stifled. She said: "God protected me in all my mis- 
fortunes, it is in Him that I confide. I will not testify my 
gratitude slowly and in secret, but at once and openly." 

Parliament voted that the nation should return to iits obedi- 
ence to the Papal See, and in testimony of their sincerity they 
fell upon their knees to receive the hands of the legate sent 
from Rome. They asked for absolution from the sin of heresy 
and schism, and in the gratitude of their sincerity they repealed 
all the acts of Henry and Edward relating to the new worship 
that had been established. Parliament was now declared 
Catholic, and there was great rejoicing in Rome. The per- 
secutions of the English Church were at an end. Mass was 
established in all the churches in London, the people were 
loud in their declarations of loyalty, and even Princess Eliza- 
beth could not withstand the current of restoration of all 
things Catholic, and in humility, and in obedience to her con- 
science, renounced the practice of Protestant worship and 
returned to the Catholic faith. She accompanied her sister to 
Mass, and even established a chapel in her private residence. 
Was this act of Elizabeth one of deceit, or was it from the 
sincerity of the heart? 

Scarcely a month had elapsed after the meeting of Parlia- 
ment before the religious structure of Henry and Edward had 
fallen to pieces, and although they refused to restore the con- 
fiscated Church lands, which were now in the hands of the 
lords and commoners, yet they were anxious and willing to 
undo everything not in conflict with the restoration of these 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 271 

vast estates. Mary, to prove her loyalty to the Church of 
Rome, restored a great part of the property still in the posses- 
sion of the crown, and refounded many of the ruined monas- 
teries, abbeys, schools and institutions of learning. 

Parliament set aside the Prayer Book; abolished the 
Church service in the language of the people, and returned 
to the established usage. The marriage of priests was pro- 
hibited; communion discontinued, and where bishops had mar- 
ried, or still remained in favor of the Reform doctrine, they 
were deprived of their sees. The marriage of Henry VIII 
with Catherine of Aragon was declared the only legal mar- 
riage, thus establishing by an act of Parliament that Mary 
was the only lawful and legal heir to the throne. 

The queen retained the title of the Head of the Church, 
not so much for its honor and power, as for continuing the 
people in the belief that it was not too severely Catholic. 
Where priests refused to give up their Protestant faith and 
who refused to say Mass they were replaced. A mild enforce- 
ment of the laws against heresy was being executed, and the 
prisons were being filled with those who were refractory. It 
was the beginning of a new religious storm. Mary had been 
raised under the influences of persecution, and her thoughts 
of heresy were black and bitter. To deny the religion of 
Christ was to her" a treason more dangerous than any national 
crime. 

♦ And now, from the standpoint of to-day, let us for a mo- 
ment consider the. question of heresy as seen and believed 
by the people of those times. In their religious fervor Cath- 
olics and Protestants, alike, regarded heresy as a greater 



272 Christian Persecutions. 

crime than treason. They were educated in the belief that it 
was an unpardonable sin, a dangerous crime against Christ, 
against the Church, and against the government, and must 
be suppressed. They were taught that there could be no 
toleration, no compromise, and no pardon except pardon by 
a full and public acknowledgment of the sin and error. Not 
only did these people regard the laws against heresy as neces- 
sary for the promotion of Christianity, but they regarded it 
as an absolute duty to suppress it, and any neglect by those 
in authority was to imperil their hope of heaven and of salva- 
tion. They honestly believed their own souls were in danger 
of God's wrath, and to countenance an outspoken heretic was 
not only to endanger the souls of other men, but in their 
belief they must be held responsible for allowing this mon- 
strous treason. 

In believing this is it any wonder that Edward sought to 
establish and to continue his father's creed, and is it any won- 
der that Mary should with equal zeal seek to subdue the heresy 
that was dividing the Church of Rome? As sovereign, it 
became her duty under the law to force its execution, and 
while she did not exhibit the spirit of revenge, yet in her intol- 
eration she became earnest almost to fanaticism, and in her 
persecutions against Protestants she did what she believed 
was her duty to do. 

Again, let us cover these wild scenes of intoleration with 
the cloak of ignorance, superstition, and zealous duty. They 
were ignorant of any means of stamping out the teachings of 
Atheism, or the open revolt against their Christianity, except 
by force. The human heart had not been nourished in the 



Heiks of Henky VIII. 273 

cradle of compassion, pity, and benevolence. Theirs was the 
education of wars and conquests. Christ's love and com- 
passion was seen only as all men were forced to bow down and 
worship Him. It had been the continuation of the ages of 
strength. Nations were sustained only by the power of the 
sword, and in the warfare of men it was the establishment of 
religion that enthused them to action. The world was a 
vast field of intoleration and persecution. The followers of 
Mahomet sought to crush out Christianity and in return 
Christianity sought to establish it's teachings of Christ and its 
mode of worship in all the countries of the earth. They had 
not arisen to the plane of the education of to-day. To them 
it Was God's displeasure and the abandonment of their soul's 
salvation, and in believing this they could not consistently do 
anything less than to labor against heresy by the persecution 
of force. To them the ax, the sword, and the flame, were the 
weapons of a wrathful Heaven to exterminate, and to remove 
from God's earth, the poisonous sting and venom of an un- 
holy, vicious, and treasonable heresy. 

A new measure of uneasiness was being fomented in all 
England. Mary had decided to marry Philip, Prince of Spain, 
and son of Charles V. Protestations against this alliance were 
being circulated, and even Parliament had sent an address 
to the queen to abandon this proposed marriage, and to choose 
her husband from her own realm. These protests only aroused 
her obstinacy, and throwing herself upon her knees before the 
altar, called God to witness her plighted troth to Philip. 

Conspirators were secretly seeking to overthrow the queen. 
France was jealous of this alliance, and urged a revolution to 



274 Christian Persecutions. 

stay its consummation. Some wished to enthrone Elizabeth, 
while others were desirous of releasing Lady Jane Grey and 
again proclaiming her Queen of England. An armed opposi- 
tion was raised to prevent the landing of Philip. Sir Peter 
Carew had rebelled in Devonshire, and Sir Thomas Wyat, a 
Catholic, was raising a rebellion in Kent. Wyat had conceived 
a most violent horror of Spain, and was supporting the 
Princess Elizabeth. He was the boldest conspirator in all the 
insurrection. He defeated the Duke of Norfolk at Rochester 
and then moved upon the defenses of the City of London, 
but here he failed to produce the uprising he anticipated. He 
was defeated, captured, and sent to the Tower. The courage 
of Mary was ceaseless and undaunted. She declared she 
would never yield to a traitor like Wyat, and would die in the 
cause she had espoused. The leniency of her previous con- 
duct was changed to an unrelenting punishment. Wyat and 
many of his followers were executed. Mary was now deter- 
mined to rid herself of the possibility of the power of Lady 
Jane Grey, and consequently, on the 12th of February, 1554, 
she was executed. 

"She died in the faith which she had believed from child- 
hood, serene and grave, without a complaint or tear, simply 
avowing to the few spectators of her execution that she de- 
served death for having consented, although with regret, to 
serve as an instrument to the ambition of others. She im- 
plored the mercy of God and delivered herself up into the 
hands of the executioner, moving all hearts by her constancy 
and meekness." 

So great was the excitement that even Elizabeth was ar- 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 275 

rested and imprisoned in the Tower, but by her earnest declara- 
tion of innocence she was removed to Woodstock, where she 
remained closely watched by the officers of Mary. Execution 
followed execution until it seemed as though all were engaged 
in this revolt. But not alone was it confined to the Protest- 
ants. The name Spaniard was hated almost tio desperation by 
the people of England, and even Catholics protested and 
arose in revolt against the union of English blood with Spain. 
It was not a revolt against Mary because she was a Catholic, 
but because of the horror of Spanish affiliation. And in re- 
turn these executions by Mary were not because they were 
Protestants but because they were in rebellion. In this we 
have no right to accuse Mary of any fanatic religious zeal, 
but only the right of government to subdue an insurrection. 
In this neither Protestants nor Catholics have any right to 
complain. It was but the chances of war. They cast their lot 
against Spain, and in the conflict theirs was the destiny of 
defeat. 

On the 28th of July, 1554, Mary was united in marriage to 
Philip. Parliament was suspicious of Spanish influence and 
took precautions against it. Cardinal Pole was sent by the 
Pope to effect a full reconciliation between the people of Eng- 
land and the Church of Rome. By a petition of Parliament 
Pole pronounced this reconciliation by absolution, and the 
works of Henry VIII and Edward VI were declared void, and 
the efforts of Mary to return to the Catholic faitfi were accom- 
plished. 

The year 1555 was one of extreme intolerance in the pun- 
ishment of heresy. Prisons were filled with the accused, and a 



276 Christian Persecutions. 

court commissioned to try heretics was formed. Condemna- 
tions and executions were increasing every day. Rogers, 
Hooper, and Ferrar were executed, and the fanaticism of 
Mary and Philip urged a more rapid enforcement of the laws. 
Cardinal Pole sought in vain to induce M'ary to listen to mod- 
eration. She had endured plots, conspiracies, and persecu- 
tions, and now in the zeal of religious fury she would burn 
and execute those who oppose her. The conscience of Mary 
was pledged to restore England to the Roman Catholic faith, 
and she would do it, by force, if not otherwise. The strength 
of the two religions was about equal, and the task she had 
undertaken grew greater and greater. Ridley, Latimer, and 
Cranmer were convicted for heresy. Cranmer was called to 
Rome, while Ridley and Latimer, on October 16, 1555, were 
burned near Baliol College, where stands a monument which 
commemorates their execution. These eminent prelates were 
fastened back to back, and as the flames encircled them, 
Latimer, with superhuman strength, cried aloud: "Be of good 
comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man, and we shall this 
day light such a candle by God's grace in England as I trust 
shall never be put out." 

Cranmer did not appear in Rome, but efforts were made 
to induce him to recant, and in a measure these efforts were 
su'cces'sml. By these shameful acts of recantation he believed 
he was purchasing liberty. He had condemned his religion, 
signed in rapid succession six abjurations, and in the expecta- 
tion of liberty was coolly informed that his repentance only 
absolved him from punishment in eternal life, but not the 
punishment that had been imposed upon him, and upon the 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 277 

21st of March following he was condemned to die. Cranmer 
now greatly regretted his recantation, for he had not re- 
deemed his life from the penalty of death, but had instead 
perjured his word, his honor, and his soul. 

As an example of his deep humility, and in punishment of 
his false denunciation of his faith, he thrust the hand that had 
signed his abjuration into the raging flames as he approached 
the stake and cried: "This hand hath offended." He protest- 
ed against his infidelity to the Reform faith and died a willing 
victim of heresy and persecution. The last courage of Cran- 
mer won for him the forgiveness of his followers for the vacil- 
lations and inconsistencies of his life. 

In quoting from Guizot's history, one of the most uncom- 
promising Protestant historians, and an escaped Huguenot 
from Paris, we find that: 

"Eighty-four persons perished that year by the flames, nor 
did the living only suffer condemnaltion ; the bones of Martin 
Eucer, who had died in England, whither he had been sum- 
moned by Cranmer during the reign of Edward VI, were dis- 
interred and publicly burned. The body of the wife of Pierce, 
the martyr, suffered the same outrage; her grave was first 
desecrated, and she was afterwards buried in a dunghill. The 
reign of Mary lasted only five years; but in this short space of 
time two hundred and eighty-eight persons were legally con- 
demned to execution on account of religion, and it would be 
impossible to enumerate the obscurer martyrs who died of 
hunger or suffering in the prisons. Most of the victims be- 
longed to the middle class and to the people; it was here that 
was manifested the most faithful attachment to the doctrines 



278 Chkistian Persecutions. 

of the Reformation. The great, enriched by the spoliation and 
governmental reform of Henry VIII, cared only to retain 
their possessions. The poor defended in their way their pre- 
cious faith by dying for it. Secret discontent was great even 
among the Roman Catholic population; the Spaniards were 
deteste'd; crimes increased. Notwithstanding the stern repres- 
sion which they had undergone in the time of Henry VIH — 
seventy-two thousand murderers, thieves or vagabonds had, 
it is said, perished upon the gallows during his long reign — 
the executioners of Queen Mary had also much to dfo. Re- 
peatedly, men of good family, who had degraded themselves 
to the condition of highwaymen, were detected and seized. 
Certain parts of the kingdom: remained in a state of dull dis- 
content; it was amid this general uneasiness that Philip, who 
hlad become king of Spain in 1556, upon the abdication of 
the Emperor Charles V, at length succeeded in involving his 
wife and England in his quarrels with France/' 

The war with France was unpopular. For once the people 
of England were opposed to a new conflict. In the struggle 
they lost every foot of ground they possessed in France. Calais 
was captured after being in their possession for two hundred 
and eleven years. This loss was bitterly painful to the queen 
and her people. During this struggle Mary was taken ill, and, 
on the 17th of November, 1558, at the age of forty-three, she 
died. She sighed so bitterly at the last that the ladies asked 
her if she were suffering, commiserating her for the absence 
of King Philip. "Not that only," she said, "but when I am 
dead and opened you shall find Calais lying in my heart." 

"The following morning, at nearly the same hour, Cardinal 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 279 

Pole died at Lambeth. The two pillars of the Catholic 
Church in England fell at the same time. Pole had hoped to 
insure triumph of his cause by gentleness and justice; Mary 
had supported it by steel and fire. Both were equally sincere 
and conscientious. Mary was of a religious mind; her char- 
acter, naturally stern and determined, had been embittered 
by injustice and suffering; but she was upright and honest, 
avoiding the subterfuges and deceits which Queen Elizabeth 
too often practiced. She was animated by a fervent faith, 
which she deemed was her right and duty to impose by force 
upon all her subjects. The sufferings of heretics excited little 
compassion in her breast; she was hardened against them, but 
in her private life, and towards her servants, she was kind and 
generous, capable of affection an'd of devotion. She blindly 
loved her husband, who neglected and despised her on account 
of her age, and the few charms which nature had bestowed 
upon her. Maty, however, was learned; she spoke pure 
Latin, she had studied Greek, and spoke French, Spanish and 
Italian with ease. She was a good musician, and danced 
gracefully. Her household was a model of order and regu- 
larity. The queen set an example of piety and virtue. The 
memory of these good qualities and misfortunes pales in the 
presence of a supreme fault : a terrible stain remains imprinted 
upon the brow of the unfortunate queen by her fanaticism and 
her conscientious cruelty. Sue persecuted, piously; she burnt 
sincerely; her acts, more than her character, merit the odious 
name which history has given her. On examining her life 
closely, one is tempted to pity 'Bloody Mary.' " 

The object in quoting from Guizot, the most radical Prot- 



280 Christian Persecutions. 

estant historian known, is to place before the readers of this 
publication the very extreme of charges made against Queen 
Mary. While it has been the aim of the author to put aside 
prejudiced ideas, bigoted statements, and misrepresented his- 
tory, yet in this case, as Protestants declare the reign of Mary 
to be one of terrible bloodshed and persecution, to give their 
strongest statements and then ask them to compare the acts 
of M'ary with those of her sister Elizabeth. 

As previously stated, Mary's reign was not a long period of 
sovereignty, nor did she come into possession of the crown 
in a peaceable manner. A conspiracy was conceived by the 
Protestant party in order to prevent the government from 
passing into Mary's hands because she was a Catholic, and 
in this opposition Lady Jane Grey was formally announced by 
the conspirators to be the successor to Edward VI, and was 
crowned Queen of England, thus attempting to deprive Mary 
of her rightful inheritance. 

To punish this act of treason many important personages 
were executed, not as is usually charged, because they were 
Protestants, but because they sought to usurp a power not 
lawfully theirs. Here is a marked injustice, and I must ask, 
why is it that Protestants are continually referring to Mary 
as the terrible reign of Protestant persecution, when for three 
hundred years the Catholics of Britain and Ireland were sub- 
jected to almost every indignity which tyrannical power could 
devise? Read the history of Ireland from the establishment 
of the Church of England, in 1534, to the time of the Catholic 
emancipation in 1829, when on April 13th, a bill became a 
law whereby Catholics were eligible to all offices, civil, munic- 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 281 

ipal, and military, except the office of Regent, of Lord Chan- 
cellor, of Viceroy of Ireland, and the Royal Commissioner of 
the General Assembly of Scotland. Read the chapter, "Irish 
Persecution," found elsewhere in this book. Read the follow- 
ing history of Elizabeth, and then if you can draw a compari- 
son by which Mary is a blacker demon than those who have 
for so many years darkened the pages of English history, you 
can do that which has never yet been done. 

The fact is, there is not, nor can there be, any reasonable 
comparison. Mary occupied the throne during a stormy per- 
iod of revolt, while Elizabeth persecuted because all opposition 
to the Church of England must be subdued by the power of 
force. Her hands were steeped in the blood of Catholics, 
Puritans, and Anabaptists. To be a Catholic was to be an 
enemy to the government, to the Church, and to Elizabeth, 
and as such must be denied the freedom of worship, or if in- 
fluential, expelled from the country, or condemned for heresy 
and executed. 

Why have these cruelties, these persecutions, these intol- 
erations, been hidden in the background, or glossed over with 
the brush of injustice, while the literature of the whole Prot- 
estant world is filled with the acts of "Bloody Mary"? Is it 
because persecution becomes an act of justice when Catholics 
are the victims? Or is it because Catholics, from hundreds of 
years of tyranny, have become insensible to torture? Is it be- 
cause one form of Christianity seeks to> build itself upon the 
fallen fortunes of another? 

If we weigh in the scales of impartial justice the reigns of 
these two sisters, what do we find? What is this comparison? 

(19) 



282 Christian Persecutions. 

If Mary was unyielding and exacting in her demands for the 
re-establishment of the Catholic Church, what can you say of 
Elizabeth, who knew no toleration, no purity of life, and no 
compassion? For a moment let us draw a few of the many 
worthy comparisons : 

Mary reigned only five years and four months, while Eliza- 
beth's reign was forty-four years and four months, a period al- 
most nine times longer than her elder sister. The victims of 
Catholic persecution under Elizabeth outnumber those of 
Mary in proportion as was the time she wielded the power of 
sovereign greater than that of her sister. Therefore, when we 
lay at the feet of Mary the record of one suffering Protestant, 
we must lay at the feet of Elizabeth nine suffering Catholics. 

The historian, Hallam, asserts that "the rack seldom stood 
idle in the Tower for all the latter part of Elizabeth's reign." 

The most unpardonable act of Mary's life, in the judgment 
of her critics, was the execution of Lady Jane Grey, and yet 
this lady, at the time of her execution, declared that she de- 
served death for being the tool of a conspiracy where she 
usurped the throne of England, which she occupied for nine 
clays. While the execution of Lady Jane has been much de- 
plored, yet it was but the execution of law against treason. 

In contrast, we find that Elizabeth put to death her cousin, 
Mary, Queen of Scots, after a long imprisonment, on a charge 
of aspiring to the English throne, and yet this charge was 
not sustained. Thus we find that the execution of Lady Jane 
Grey was the result of treason, while Elizabeth's execution of 
Mary, Queen of Scots, was a cold-blooded murder of a de- 
fenseless woman who> fled to her for protection. 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 283 

Mary's zeal was exercised in behalf of the religion of her 
forefathers, which had been the recognized and loved form of 
worship for more than one thousand years. Elizabeth's zeal 
was employed in extending the new creed, introduced by her 
father in a moment of passion, and modified by him. The one 
had been in existence from the date of England's conversion 
to Christianity a thousand years previous, and had ever been 
cherished in the hearts of the people. The other was the re- 
sult of a sinful intercourse and the refusal of the Pope of Rome 
to sanction the crime. 

While Mary sought to restore the time-honored faith and 
worship of the Catholic Church, Elizabeth, with a most vio- 
lent and unrelenting rigor, declared that no Catholic worship 
should be tolerated. 

The elder sister was propagating what she believed was 
the true and infallible doctrine of Christ, but the younger sister 
was propagating her own religion, and that of her father. The 
one had been tried since the days of the Apostle Peter, the 
other was that which Henry VIII had instituted when he re- 
belled from the Church of Rome. 

While Mary had no private or personal motives in op- 
pressing Protestants, Elizabeth's hostility to the Catholic 
Church was intensified, if not instigated, by her hatred of the 
Pope, who had declared her illegitimate. Her legitimacy be- 
fore the world depended on the success of the new religion, 
which had legalized her father's divorce from Catherine. 

Hence, as Macaulay says: "Mary was sincere in her re- 
ligion; Elizabeth was not. Having no scruple about conform- 
ing to the Roman Church when conformity was necessary to 



284 Chkistian Peksecutions 

her own safety, retaining to the last moment of her life a fond- 
ness for much of the doctrine and much of the ceremonial of 
that Church, she yet subjected that Church to a persecution 
even more odious than the persecution with which her sister 
had harassed the Protestants. Mary did nothing for her re- 
ligion which she was not prepared to suffer for. She had held 
it firmly under persecution. She fully believed it to be es- 
sential to salvation. Elizabeth, in opinion, was but little more 
than half a Protestant. She had professed, when it suited her, 
to be wholly Catholic." 

Thus we find, as we understand the controlling motives of 
Mary and Elizabeth, that their actions are based upon differ- 
ent principles of justice, and in the rendering of judgment on 
them, we must decide, that if you condemn the five years of 
Mary's reign you must also condemn the forty-four years of 
Elizabeth's persecutions. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

HEIRS OF HENRY VIII— Continued. 
QUEEN ELIZABETH. 

13 Y the death of Queen Mary, the crown, by virtue of the 
*-** succession granted to Henry VIII, fell to Elizabeth, the 
daughter of Anne Boleyn. Her professions of faith under the 
reign of Mary were more of hypocrisy than ardent truth, as 
her future acts will prove. In her pretense of renouncing the 
Reform worship of her father she acted from policy. Her 
social relations with her sister Mary were cold and indifferent. 
While Mary was a Catholic almost to fanaticism, and would 
yield to no opposition to establish her faith, yet Elizabeth was 
cunning, artful, and designing. Not naturally hard in heart 
and determined in persecution, but as history informs us : 

" Along with her good and queenly qualities and accom- 
plishments, Elizabeth had many unamiable traits and unwom- 
anly ways. She was capricious, treacherous, unscrupulous, 
ungrateful, and cruel. She seemed almost devoid of a moral 
or religious sense. Deception and falsehood were her usual 
weapons in diplomacy." 

"In the profusion and recklessness of her lies," declares 
Green, "Elizabeth stood without a peer in all Christendom." 

Beside's the practice of deceit and hypocrisy, her moral life 
was notoriously corrupt. She toyed with the Lords and 
nobles as the cat plays with its mouse. Her fascinating 

285 



286 Chkistian Persecutions. 

charms surrounded her with the corruption of court and the 
scandal of the nation. Her designs were to institute favor, 
excite passion, and to hold in her power the nobility of the 
kingdom. In contrast to Mary, she was as black is to white. 
The religious, moral and conscientious character of Mary is in 
marked contrast with the disgraceful, corrupt and insincere 
motives of Elizabeth. In the pursuit of pleasure, ambition, or 
power, she was active and determined. She was quick to de- 
vise ways and means to accomplish her purposes, and although 
Protestant in faith, yet in the dissembling character of her 
nature, it is a question if she even thought of God in her heart. 

Her title to the crown was denied by every true Catholic 
in England, because she was the child of Anne Boleyn, that 
marriage which the Pope had forbidden under pain of the 
anathemas of the Church. Therefore she had little to expect 
from tne Catholics, and very naturally looked to 'the Protest- 
ant Party for sympathy and loyalty. With fhi's question, raised 
against her lawful heirship, it is easily seen that her prejudices 
must largely work in favor of the Reform Church, and al- 
though Catholics were in hopes she would continue the work 
of Mary, yet they were disappointed, when, like Mary, who 
undid the work of Henry VIII and Edward VI, she undid the 
work of Mary. It was a game of tit for tat. Mary had re- 
stored the Catholic worship, and now Elizabeth would over- 
throw it and restore the Church of England. 

Elizabeth was strong in character, courageous, and deter- 
mined. She possessed admirable judgment, was far-seeing, 
and in politics sustained a wonderful tact. By these qualities 
her government became one of the strongest and most il- 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 287 

lustrious in the history of England's sovereigns. She raised 
the nation from a position of insignificance to one of the most 
active among the States of Europe. One of the secrets of her 
strength was by her selection of strong, earnest men for her 
advisers. She gathered around her Council board the wisest 
and most eminent men of her empire. In the selection of Sir 
William Cecil (Lord Burleigh) she found a man of extensive 
knowledge, a man of great sagacity, and of ceaseless industry. 
To him, more than to any other person, is largely due the 
success of her a'dministratiion. This man stood at the head of 
the Queen's Council for more than forty years. 

The first act of Elizabeth was to dissolve the two religious 
houses established by Mary, and to elect a new Parliament, by 
which two new Acts were established — the Act of Supremacy, 
and the Act of Uniformity — which relaid the foundation of 
the Anglican Church. By this Act of Supremacy all the 
clergy, and every person holding office, were required to take 
an oath of allegiance declaring the Queen to be the supreme 
authority in all things spiritual as well as temporal, and at the 
same time renouncing the authority or jurisdiction of any for- 
eign prince or prelate. For refusing to take this oath many 
Catholics were persecuted, imprisoned, and even suffered 
death. While Elizabeth did not resort to the conscientious 
persecution of Mary, yet her reign is filled with the history of 
crime and bloodshed. 

The Act of Uniformity forbade clergymen from using any 
but the Anglican liturgy. It also required every person to at- 
tend the Established Church on Sundays and other holy days. 
For a violation of this act, each absence recorded a fine of one 



288 Christian Persecutions. 

shilling. The persecution which arose under this law caused 
many Catholics to seek freedom of worship in other countries. 
The Catholics were not alone in their disobedience of this Act. 
There were Protestant Non-Conformists, called Puritans, and 
Separatists. These organizations were stronger in the re- 
forms of #he Church and believed that the Anglican was only 
half-reformed. The Puritans were more the followers of John 
Calvin and his doctrine, while the Separatists were even more 
rigid in discipline than the Puritans. They flung away every 
semblance of Roman worship, and severed all connections 
with the Established Church. Under this Act they were per- 
secuted and forced to leave England. Many went to Holland, 
where, in after years, they became the Pilgrim Fathers of the 
New World. 

The forms of persecution were small and inconsiderate in 
many instances, but annoying and aggravating. Spies were 
sent to question into the private life of Catholics, and those not 
in proclaimed sympathy with the movements of Elizabeth. It 
was a low, disgusting scrutiny of the private lives of the peo- 
ple. No one was secure in his home conversation, or his pri- 
vate worship. A secret system of detective work was going 
on everywhere, and while its results were not often a sacrifice 
of life, yet in its persecution the people were harassed in mind 
and conscience, not knowing what charge might arise and the 
verdict of imprisonment would be their lot. 

As an instance of this determined persecution we find re- 
corded that, as early as in 1561, Sir Edward Waldegrave and 
his wife were sent to the Tower for having received and enter- 
tained a Catholic priest at their home. A Puritan was 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 289 

scourged for having said in his private family that he would 
never recognize the Church of England. This evidence was 
obtained by listening at the keyhole. A petition signed by 
bishops imploring Elizabeth to follow the example of her sis- 
ter Mary was received with indignation and the petitioners 
sent to prison. Offers of position and rich estates were made 
to those imprisoned bishops, and many were thus converted 
Do the Reform faith. Bonner refused to yield and died in 
prison. The monasteries that were restored by Mary were 
now closed and their valuable possessions again confiscated. 
The Whole effort of Elizabeth was to restore the work of 
Cranmer and Edward VI. Elizabeth was losing the quiet 
insincere life of her past retirement, and was yielding to the 
demands and public opinions of the Protestant Party. 

Political motives were now being considered by Elizabeth. 
France and Spain were united by the marriage of Philip II to 
Elizabeth, daughter of Henry II. Scotland was in a ferment 
of religious revolution, and their young queen, Mary Stuart, 
was an ardent Catholic. From the standpoint of the illegality 
of Henry VII Fs marriage with Anne Bol'eyn, Mary Stuart, 
being the daughter of James V of Scotland, by right of 
birth, according to all Catholics, who denied the validity of 
the matrriaige of Anne B'oleyn with Henrv VIII, was the next 
in direct succession to the crown of England, after Mary 
Tudor. Politically, the three countries — France, Spain, and 
Scotland — were to form an alliance and overthrow Elizabeth 
and her English government, and in the overthrow Mary 
Stuart would become heir to the throne. So strong became 
the apparent motives of this alliance that Elizabeth declared 



290 Christian Persecutions. 

she would take a husband, and as she describes: "I will take 
a husband who shall cause the head of the King of France to 
ache ; he does not know what a rebuff I intend to give him." 

Advances were immediately made to the Earl of Arran, 
the heir-presumptive to the throne of Scotland after the Stu- 
arts. The Earl had become an ardent Protestant and this 
union would strengthen the bonds of government, but Eliza- 
beth was too fickle in mind to form either a political or matri- 
monial alliance, and although repeatedly solicited by Parlia- 
ment to take a husband, yet she could never settle her mind 
on which would be the most available in all the long line of 
royal candidates. 

As she was handsome, brilliant in diplomacy, and witty and 
fascinating in court, she was greatly admired, and her strength 
of will and purpose did much ito hold the confidence of Europe 
and the love and esteem of her people. In matters of religion 
she was extremely Protestant, and her persecutions of Catho- 
lics were cruel and inhuman. Her greatest fear was, that in 
the succession to the throne of England, the government 
might again fall into the hands of her religious enemies. She 
feared Mary Stuart, because she was a Catholic, and because 
she was next in the line of succession. The twenty years' im- 
prisonment was not that Mary had committed a crime, but 
that she might, through her Catholic influence, establish a 
revolt against the Protestant Reformation, overthrow the 
religious government of England and Scotland and restore 
the Catholic faith. It was this fear that sustained Elizabeth 
in her persecutions, and made her despotic and tyrannical. 
So great was her fear that her suspicions often governed her 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 291 

inconsistencies, and in a number of instances she caused to be 
executed some of her most trusted advisers. 

She realized that her birth was not a clear title to the 
throne of England; that from a point of morality it was base 
and ignoble, while from the law of the Catholic Church it 
was declared illegal and void. Twice did the Pope issue an 
edict of excommunication and declared her subjects no longer 
legally bound to her will. Knowing these conditions we can- 
not wonder at her deep solicitude for her own safety, as well 
as that of her chosen religion. 

In a short review we have this history of England as it 
affected the Catholic and Protestant religions of that empire: 

1st. Henry VIII, from motives of revenge, and to estab- 
lish the legitimacy of his own licentious passions, overthrew 
the Catholic Church, and in the strength of might established 
a new line of nobility and a new doctrine of worship. He 
confiscated the property of the Church, robbed monasteries, 
and denied the free worship of God. 

2d. Edward VI, the son of Jane Seymour, continued the 
persecution, established a ritual creed in the faith of his father, 
and commanded a religious observance of it. He also estab- 
lished the English Book of Common Prayer, and the forty-two 
articles of faith tKat became the standard of doctrine of the 
English Church. Edward died at the age of fifteen and one 
half years. 

3d. Alary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, the only 
lawful marriage of Henry VIII. She became known in Prot- 
estant history as "Bloody Alary." Being an ardent Catholic, 
she overturned the religious governments of Henry and Ed- 



292 Christian Persecutions. 

ward, re-established the monasteries, restored estate's, and 
through a series of zealous determinations, built up the Cath- 
olic faith. Under her reign the wihole structure of faith was 
Catholic. Even Parliament was anxious to vote that the na- 
tion should return to the obedience of the Papal See, and in 
their anxiety to seek absolution fell upon their knees in the 
presence of the legate of the Pope. Mary's Was a reign of an 
established Catholic power. 

4th. Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, was the next in 
succession, and from the Catholic law could not be a lawful 
child of marriage. Under this reign Elizabeth exercised a 
more bitter and inconsistent persecution than we find in Mary, 
but being Protestant her efforts were directed against the 
Catholic Church and those in opposition to her. By her the 
English Church was firmly established, never again to be 
overthrown. While Protestant teachings exclaim with horror 
over the persecutions of Mary, yet in her sister, Elizabeth, we 
find the same fanatic zeal to overturn and persecute the fol- 
lowers of Mary and her established religion. 

5th. By a conspiracy of Protestant followers and to prevent 
Catholic Mary from taking the throne, Lady Jane Grey was 
announced the lawful sovereign of England, and for nine days 
she was declared by the insurrection Queen of England, but 
the line of succession as established by Henry VITI Could not 
be broken and She was arrested as a usurper, tried for treason 
and in after years was executed. 

6th. Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots was, from the declaration 
of Catholic authority, the lawful heir to the throne of England, 
but as she was Catholic, under the trumped-up charge of being 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 293 

accessory to the murder of her husband, was forced to abdi- 
cate in favor of her infant son, James VI, of Scotland. 'Mary 
fled to England and asked for protection of her cousin Eliza- 
beth, who fearing her legal line of ancestry and her Catholic 
following, cast her into prison, where she remained for twenty 
years and was then executed. 

7th. We now arrive at the sovereign reign of King James 
I, known in history as James VI of Scotland, son of Mary 
Stuart. 

MARY STUART, QUEEN OF SCOTS. 

Much of the history of Queen Elizabeth's reign is so closely 
connected with Mary Stuart, that to write one is to write both, 
and by the Catholic legality of birth Mary stood as a rival to 
the throne of England. 

Scotland was virtually in the hands of the Protestant Re- 
formers, known as the followers of John Calvin, or Presbyteri- 
ans, and while Mary sought to sustain her Catholic faith, yet 
the Protestant doctrine was growing stronger and stronger, 
and in force was the controlling religion of the kingdom. 

The Scottish Queen married Lord Darnley, an ardent 
Catholic, against the loud protestations of the Protestant 
preachers and other reformers. Mary was earnestly peti- 
tioned to renounce everything Catholic and unite herself with 
the Protestant faith. Plot after plot was instituted to over- 
throw this new Catholic influence, and as Darnley was weak 
in affection, vulgar, unmannerly, dissolute and violent at 
times, he soon lost the love and esteem of Mary, and in its 
place grew aversion and contempt. Darnley realized that his 



294 Christian Persecutions. 

uncouth brutality had deeply wounded the sensitive nature of 
his wife and sought, during his drunken revelries, to devise 
means of allaying the scorn of the court for his unmannerly 
conduct. He knew his disgrace and must seek some means 
of redeeming his faults. To do this there must be some ex- 
cuse invented, some attack to produce a suspicion, a court talk 
that Darnley had grievances, that he was wronged, that there 
were excuses, and after all the pure, sweet Mary may not be 
exactly what she seemed. In this study Darnley seized upon 
one Rizzio, an Italian musician, and court favorite. The Ital- 
ian was handsome, graceful, and a musician. Darnley grew 
jealous of his accomplishments and even basely taunted his 
wife of infidelity. The proud spirit of Mary turned away in 
disgust from these low insinuations of her depraved husband. 
She had borne his vulgar, drunken orgies with loathing and 
shame, but now a reflection was cast upon her honor, and she 
felt it too humiliating to even respond to these heart thrusts of 
a wicked and sensuous husband. 

Darnley communicated his pretended grievances to his 
friends, and a bold scheme of assassination was declared as 
the only means of ridding the court of his presence. Rizzio 
was indeed a court favorite, and being an Italian, willing hands 
were waiting to avenge the honor of one who had no honor. 
At the head of this conspiracy stood Lord Ruthven and Lord 
Morton, chancellor of the kingdom. Besides this conspiracy, 
there was another motive that induced these prominent Lords 
to plot against the life of Rizzio and the character of Mary. 
They sought to recall the Earl of Murray and other exiled 
Lords, and by threats of persecution their plot would be suc- 
cessful. 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 295 

The time selected for this assassination was while the 
Queen and her ladies were at supper and Rizzio was in the 
room. Darnley would have his wife see the consummation 
of this plotted villainy, and thus produce fear and consterna- 
tion. Darnley entered -the dining-room, followed by Ruithven 
and others. Ruthven ordered Rizzio to leave the apartment, 
and an angry altercation followed in which Mary defended 
Rizzio in this unjust demand. Darnley seized the hands of his 
wife, and in the melee the table was overturned and Rizzio 
stabbed with a dagger. Morton guarded the doors of the 
palace with a troop of armed men, thus cutting off any assist- 
ance which might come to the support of the Queen. 

If we follow this conspiracy, we will find that the Earl of 
Bothwell and Lord Huntley came to the assistance of Mary 
with an armed force of eighteen thousand men, and that Mor- 
ton and Ruthven fled. Soon after this event Mary gave birth 
to a son, who was to become James VI of Scotland, and James 
I of England. The coldness between Mary and Darnley in- 
creased. The brutality of Darnley might be overlooked, but 
being an accomplice in crime and the defamer of his wife's 
character, was too black to be trusted, or to be forgiven. But 
the end was soon to come. The house in which Darnley was 
spending the night was blown up and he was killed. Sus- 
picion immediately rested upon Bothwell, and he was arrested, 
tried for murder, but acquitted. Bothwell was known to be 
desperately enamored with Mary, and court talk assumed 
phases not complimentary to him or to her. So great was his 
infatuation that Mary's personal friends warned her against 
him, and even wrote to her saying: "Bothwell will kill you; 
retire before he comes within this place." 



296 Christian Persecutions. 

Bothwell had sought powerful allies among the members 
of Parliament, and at a banquet of all the principal members, 
protested his innocence of the murder of Darnley, and then 
announced his intention of marrying Mary. Whether from 
fear or otherwise, Bothwell obtained their signatures recom- 
mending this union, and they also undertook to use their in- 
fluence in his behalf. It had been Bothwe'll's scheme to force 
a union with Mary, and to accomplish this he had obtained a 
separation from his wife. Darnley was dead, and current 
opinion was that he was the means of his death.. 

Four days from the time Bothwell secured the signatures 
of the principal members of Parliament he intercepted Mary 
while she was returning from Stirling, and with his powerful 
escort forced her to accompany him to Dunbair Castle, where 
he held her captive for five days. At tihie moment of her cap- 
ture Bothwell exclaimed, that he would marry the Queen, 
"who would or who would not; yea, whether she would herself 
or not." His determination was now fixed. He had sur- 
mounted the difficulties that lay between them, and now she 
was his prisoner. What promise he received from her was 
never revealed, but upon her release she appeared before the 
sessions court, and there declared before the chancellor that 
notwithstanding the outrages which he had made her suffer, 
she was disposed to pardon him and to raise him to still 
greater honors, and in this unexplained mysterious influence 
Bothwell had obtained control over Mary's mind and on the 
15th of May they were united in marriage. Thus had the 
murderer obtained the object of his crime. 

Open revolt was now precipitated and Bothwell was pub- 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 297 

licly declared the murderer of Darnley. So strong was this 
declaration of murder that the Lords demanded an abdication 
of the throne in favor of the little prince. At first Mary re- 
fused to sign, but when Lord Lindsay grasped her arm and 
cried: "Sign, if you do not wish to die as your husband's 
murderer," she took the pen and without looking at the paper 
signed the document, and on the 20th of June the little prince 
was crowned James VI, and on the 22d of August the Earl of 
Murray was elected regent. These acts of Mary have been 
used as weapons of calumnies against her character as a true, 
virtuous, and honorable woman. If we consider from one 
point alone, there may be reasons for suspicion, but when we 
know the historic facts of Darnley's dissolute and villainous 
character; when we know that Bofchwell, by force or other- 
wise, compelled this marriage, we can only pity Mary Stuart 
for submitting to this unholy union. Mary was Queen only 
in name. Her kingdom was in Protestant revolt. Parlia- 
ment and the nobility were against her. Every force was 
brought to induce iher to renounce her religion and accept the 
Presbyterian faith. The demand of Lord Lindsay to abdicate 
was the demand of power against the weak. The threat hor- 
rified Mary, and without even looking at the document she 
signed it. But why was this demand made? Why were 
threats made to imperil her life? Why was this reaction when 
Parliament, as individual members, had signed a request for 
this union? There can be but one answer. By her abdication 
the child prince became king of Scotland, and a Protestant 
Regent is appointed to reign instead. To cover these acts of 
treachery there must be some further persecution to continue 

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298 Christian Persecutions. 

this semblance of crime. Mary had abdicated, Lord Murray 
was elected regent, and the whole political system was in the 
hands of the Reformers. Efforts must be made to hold the 
people in excitement and to disgrace the sovereign power, and 
under the crime of Bothwell they would continue the persecu- 
tion of Mary. 

In December Mary Stuart was arrested for the murder of 
Darnley and cast into prison, but escaped and raised a body 
of troops, declared her abdication void because of force and 
threats and proceeded to regain her throne by force. She was 
defeated and escaped into England, where sfhe sought the 
mercy of Elizabeth and beseeched her to assist in restoring her 
throne. Agents of Elizabeth everywhere demanded that Mary 
should be held in prison and not allowed to foment new trou- 
bles. Sir Henry Morris wrote from Paris: "Her Majesty now 
holds the wolf that would destroy her. It is said that there is 
a conspiracy between the King of France, the King of Spain, 
and the Pope to ruin her Majesty, and to put the Queen of 
Scotland in her place." Elizabeth began to believe in the 
crime of Mary, and if the crime is proven she must suffer the 
penalty. But the die was cast. With Mary restored to the 
throne of Scotland, Elizabeth would always be in danger. 
Mary in prison was a greater security to the aspirations of 
Elizabeth than Mary at will. Repeatedly she had requested 
Mary to relinquish the crown and live a peaceful life as a re- 
tired subject, but in vain. She positively declined, and de- 
clared she would rather suffer death than surrender her claims. 

Plots and counterplots were being formed. Spanish armies 
had made designs upon invasion, and the people were becom- 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 299 

ing alarmed and suspicious of different Lords and nobles. 
The Duke of Norfolk, the staunch defender of Elizabeth, was 
declared in treason and conspiracy, and was executed. The 
Earl of Northumberland was also condemned to death and all 
Protestant England was crying for the execution of Mary 
Stuart as the only means of preserving the peace of the coun- 
try. Mary was a Catholic, and while she lived there would be 
only dissension, insurrection, and bloodshed. The bishops ad- 
vised her execution, as she was the "origin and source of all 
evil." 

The massacre of the Protestant Huguenots in France on 
St. Bartholomew's Day only incensed the English Reformers 
to a greater excitement, and greater demands upon Elizabeth 
to continue her persecutions against Mary and all opposition. 
New attempts were made to rescue her, but she was removed 
from prison to prison, and each day more closely confined, and 
each day treated with less respect and consideration. Her ap- 
peals to her son, now king of Scotland, received but little at- 
tention. Mary saw her days were numbered and in the 
sincerity of 'her Catholic faith she exclaimed: "There are two 
things, sir, which you cannot take from me — the royal blood 
that gives me the right to the succession, and the attachment 
that unites me to the faith of my ancestors/' Amid all the 
stormy periods of her life she had been a devout Catholic, 
and in the purification of imprisonment and long suffering 
she was to die a Catholic, and in her death we see her rival, 
Elizabeth, responsible for the odious stain of execution. 

Mary Stuart was tried for conspiracy against Elizabeth, or, 
in other words, treason against the throne of England. On 



300 Chkistian Persecutions. 

the 14th of October, 1586, she was confronted with commis- 
sioners and judges, who were surrounded with assistants, ta- 
bles, and documents, but to Mary there was granted nothing, 
yet for two days she held in check the ablest lawyers of Eng- 
land, but without friends, or testimony, and with perjured 
witnesses, who gave their evidence in secret, there was no 
chance to escape. The verdict for years had been established 
by her enemies, and now, through the formality of law, it 
would be executed. As a condemned criminal, Mary Stuart, 
Queen of Scots, was now deprived of all the honor due her 
station, and in defense of her royal dignity she exclaimed: "I 
am an anointed Queen. In spite of the Queen of England, 
her Council, and her heretical Judges, I will die a Queen." 

Numerous attempts were made to stay the sentence, but 
of no avail. Her own son, James VI, was solicited to inter- 
cede, but his coldness was a scandal unto himself. He ap- 
peared to have no feeling, no pity, and no honorable manhood. 
Sir Robert Melville accompanied an ambassy sent to labor 
with Elizabeth, and in his conversation asked: "Why does the 
Queen of Scots seem so dangerous to you?" Elizabeth re- 
sponded: "Because she is a Papist, and they say she shall suc- 
ceed to my throne." 

The hour of execution 'was near at hand. The Earl of 
Shrewsbury had arrived, and as the sentence was being read, 
Mary made the sign of the cross and quietly said, that after 
twenty years of imprisonment she did not expect this from her 
cousin Elizabeth, but — and she placed her hand upon a Bible 
near her, and swore that she never contemplated harm to Eliz- 
abeth. The Earl of Kent brutally responded that, as it was 



Heirs of Heney VIII. 301 

a Pope's Bible, her oath was of no value. With flashing eyes 
Mary said: "It is a Catholic testament, and, therefore, my 
Lord, as I believe it to be the true version, my oath is the 
more to be relied upon." "Your death will be the life of our 
religion," said Kent, "as, contrariwise, your life would have 
been its death." 

The condemned Queen spent the night in the company of 
her servants and in prayer. She bade them farewell, and as 
the sheriff arrived she arose from her devotions, took the 
crucifix from the altar and without faltering* followed the 
officer from the room. A't the door s'he found her faithful 
servant, Melville, who fell upon his knees weeping and sob- 
bing. "Cease to lament, good Melville," said the Queen, "for 
thou shaft now see a final period to Mary Stuart's troubles; 
the world, my servant, is all but vanity, and subject to more 
sorrow than an ocean of tears can wash away. But I pray thee, 
take this message when thou goest, that I die true to my re- 
ligion, to Scotland, and to France. Commend me to my son, 
and tell him that I have done nothing to prejudice the king- 
dom of Scotland." 

She askecr-that her servants might accompany her to her 
execution, but the overbearing Kent refused. "I know my 
cousin Elizabeth would not have denied me so small a matter, 
that my women might be present even for honor of woman- 
hood," she said. At the last moment she cried: "I am fixed 
in the ancient religion, and, by God's grace, I will shed my 
blood for it." She prayed for the Church, her son, and' Eliza- 
beth, and as she kissed the crucifix the Eanlof Kent exclaimed: 
"Madam, you would better put such Poperish trumpery out of 



302 Christian Persecutions. 

your hand and carry Christ in your heart." In reply Mary 
modestly said: "I can hardly bear this emblem in my hand 
without at the same time bearing Him in my heart." The ax 
fell, and her spirit took its flight to her God. Thus closed the 
life of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. Her chief persecution in 
life was because she was a Catholic, and even in death the un- 
relenting and unforgiving persecution followed her. As her 
bleeding head was raised from the block these words were 
uttered: "God save Queen Elizabeth." "Thus perish all her 
enemies." Fitting words to express the cruelty, the crimes, 
and the persecutions of her enemies. She had lived a life of 
fidelity to Christ, to humanity, and to Christian faith. The 
twenty years' imprisonment only served to establish her re- 
ligion more firmly in her mind and conscience. She realized 
the source of her troubles, and in the fervency of Christian for- 
titude she forgave her enemies, knowing that it was the perse- 
cution of Christ's love she bore in her heart. 

Again, let us refer to the hypocrisy and deceit of Elizabeth. 
She had given the order for the execution of Mary Stuart, and 
yet she feigned great anger and compassion when informed 
of her death. She ordered the arrest of several ministers and 
caused their disgrace. Davidson was sent to the Tower, 
where he remained until his death, a victim of deceit. His 
fortune was confiscated to pay the fine imposed upon him. 
Even Burleigh was accused of conspiring against Mary, the 
whole being an assumed pretense of placing the crime from 
off her own shoulders. 

King James was also deeply incensed, and swore he would 
move heaven and earth for vengeance, but when Elizabeth 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 303 

added to his pension, and the throne of England came so 
much nearer in the line of succession, he forgot his mother 
and his wrath. His consolation was individual benefits and 
aspirations. The words of Mary were now answered: "Could 
an only son forget his mother." 

Let us return for a moment to the closing scenes of Eliza- 
beth. She had rendered assistance to the Huguenots of 
France, and the Protestant rebellion of the Netherlands. The 
Spanish invasion had been defeated by the destruction of her 
"Invincible Armada." Her vessels had traversed the globe, 
made important expeditions to the New World, and for a gen- 
eration acted more the part of piracies than those of a peaceful 
trade. The crippling of the naval power of Spain left England 
mistress of the seas. New life was infused in her daring ex- 
ploits. The old Norse blood burned with feverish impatience 
for adventure and glory. 

It was a reign of universal triumphs. She had overcome 
her enemies, thwarted plots for her destruction, combined the 
cunning of policy with her apparent ardent love for her people. 
She had governed England despotically, but with such skill- 
fulness that she was enabled to turn the dangerous corners 
when necessity required it, but always the patron and pro- 
tector of the Protestant Reformation. But, as brilliant as were 
her achievements, yet her glory was tarnished and sullied by 
feminine follies and evil passions, while obstinately refusing to 
accept the duties and legitimate happiness of a woman's life. 
Brave, proud, far-sighted, and persevering, she displayed 
much intellectual ability, and certain fine moral qualities, but 
rarely or never the tender and modest virtues which inspire 



304 Christian Persecutions. 

and retain private affection. And yet for many years she was 
able to inspire sentiments of another nature. When she died, 
the evils and dangers inherent in absolute power had done 
their work; the English nation was beginning to grow weary 
of the rule of its great Queen, and to dream of political and re- 
ligious liberties which had no place in the mind or in the heart 
of Elizabeth Tudor. 

The closing days of Elizabeth's reign were, to her person- 
ally, dark and gloomy. As she looked back over her long 
life of public ambitions, cares, and responsibilities, she saw the 
gaunt specter of persecutions rise up before her. She saw 
the patient, uncomplaining Mary Stuart, her own cousin, con- 
fined for twenty years in a prison. She saw her headless form 
wildly beseeching for mercy, and then praying for the forgive- 
ness of those who were persecuting her. She saw the Earl 
of Essex, her chief favorite, sent to the block, and in her secret 
grief she saw her pride only the stepping stone to the misery 
of others. She saw her shameful life at court without even the 
semblance of reward. She saw her past, only as an empty vis- 
ion, a barren oak, and a soul without reward. And while she 
had been the instrument of national success, yet there were no 
heart pleasures to gladden her declining years. 

In the loneliness of family ties she was a fit subject for pity 
and compassion. Her persecutions were not from a love of 
faith and devotion, but from the determination to raise her 
name from the ignomy of a denied birth. She knew that her 
father and mother were denied by the Church of Rome, and 
she would raise her voice and hand against.it. She was one of 
the bitterest enemies of the Church and ever sought to over- 



Heirs of Henry VIII. 305 

throw it. She lived in the rigor of intoleration, and ended her 
days with the burden of a secret grief. 

She died March 24th, 1603, in the seventieth year of her 
age, and the forty-fifth year of her reign. With her ended the 
Tudor line of English sovereigns. 



CHAPTER XXIY. 

IRISH PERSECUTION. 

OF all the different races of men none have endured the 
hardships of persecution, the domineering influences of 
oppression, and the absolute tyranny of government so 
meekly as have the Irish people of Ireland. So great has been 
this disfranchisement, this disregard of human rights, that 
Irish oppression has for centuries been synonymous with all 
that represented injustice, intolerance, and religious and gov- 
ernmental abuse. No nation in all Christendom has the 
record of so much meek submission to injustice, has shown 
so much forbearance, and has borne so much uncomplaining 
misery, humiliation, and degradation. As we read their his- 
tory in the light of our present civilization we can only won- 
der how these people could have maintained their individual- 
ity, their national character, and their firm adherence to 
Christianity. But if we go back to the remote records we 
shall find what some of the causes are which govern this pas- 
sive and apparent indifference to trials and persecutions. 

The first important date in the history of Ireland is 432, 
when St. Patrick came as an apostle of Christianity to teach 
the people the true worship of God. At that time the religion 
of the people was Pagan to an extreme — not of the same 
mythical character as that practiced by the Roman Emperors, 
but one based more upon the legerdemain of magicians and 
those educated to perform apparent miracles through the 

306 



Irish Persecution. 307 

witchcraft then in vogue. These teachers were divided into 
three classes and governed the affairs of religion and morality 
with absolute authority. They also formulated the basis of 
the law, and exercised its judicial functions. These teachers 
were classified as : the bards, the vates, and Druids proper, or 
priests. They were not a hereditary caste, by which power, 
position, or influence could be transmitted, but their system 
partook of the nature of a competition in which all could 
enter. As these positions ensured privileges, such as exemp- 
tion from taxation and from service in the army, they were 
eagerly sought by the youth of the country. The exactions 
of learning, however, were so great that only the few suc- 
ceeded in acquiring the necessary knowledge. To become 
perfect and properly qualified to become a teacher a course 
of training was indispensable, which often required twenty 
years. All instruction was imparted orally, although they 
had a written language. So great was their memory that 
when once a subject was mastered it was never forgotten. 
They entered into the minutest details, and sought to explain 
the phenomena of nature, the existence of life, and the power 
of mind over matter. Their favorite studies were astrology, 
geography, physical science, and natural theology. Besides 
these, they were wonderfully developed in botany, astronomy, 
medicine, and letters. Iii mechanics, and skill of construc- 
tion, they were superior to any people existing at that time. 
The megalithic remains of that era even now testify to their 
ability as workers of beautiful designs in stone and other 
material. Examples of their stone-work are found in various 
parts of France and Briton, furnishing us evidence that these 



308 Christian Persecutions. 

people once flourished in the greater part of Southeastern 
Europe. Stone circles in their buildings were emblems of a 
Supreme Being, and the serpent that of the Divine Son. 

Their belief was a peculiar combination of Paganism and 
Christianity. In Christianity they believed in a Supreme 
Being and in the immortality of the soul. The people believed 
that their priests were in league with the demons of paganism, 
and were able by this agency to do good to their friends and 
mischief to their enemies. The priests were held in awe and 
veneration, for whomsoever should offend one of these pious 
representatives of God, might be punished as the offended 
one willed. In sorcery they were adepts, having been edu- 
cated to practice this art, and while to the people their accom- 
plishments seemed to be the mysterious workings of a super- 
natural power, yet to themselves it was only the power of 
study and practice. These professed jugglers may be classed 
with the eminent magicians of our day. They practiced 
charms to an almost miraculous degree. The most noted 
and most powerful charm was a snake's egg which was sup- 
posed to be produced in a mysterious manner. With this 
charm the belief of the mind became an almost possessed 
reality. By its influence they supposed they could see beyond 
the confines of their own presence, and by mesmerism, the 
power of mind over mind, they could read the thoughts of 
others. While there was nothing peculiarly mysterious or 
supernatural in their science of investigating the power of 
mind, or the power of deception, yet these gifts, the result of 
studied education, produced a strong belief in the super- 
stitions of the age. 



Irish Persecution. 309 

Their philosophy was identical with that of Pythagoras, 
the great central figure of the Eastern Gnostic religion, and 
the question arises, was this Pyt'hagorian exposition of Chris- 
tianity taught to the Druids by some means not recorded in 
history? or was it invented by them and taught to> the Eastern 
Gnostics? But be that as it may, these two systems of wor- 
ship were opposed to Christianity, and from; their similarity 
must have originated from the same source. Besides this, the 
Druids believed in the transmigration of souls; that the soul, 
if not fully prepared to become a perfect spirit, must continue 
its mission on earth through other bodies and other forms of 
earthly experience, until at last it was prepared by its line of 
progression to come into the realm of eternal rest. Their 
greatest veneration was for the forest, God's deep solitude, 
where, with all the solemnity of their weird incantations, they 
practiced their rites — merely studied deception — and, under 
the protecting obscurity of the forest gloom, their acts seemed 
to the multitude like the workings of a supernatural power. 
During the seasons of presentation they were clad in white, 
wearing gold ornaments, and, with other features of awe-in- 
spiring import, they sustained their mysterious superstitions 
which so largely controlled their people. They also believed 
that the higher the form of sacrifice the greater the atonement 
of sin, and in proportion to their ability to render sacrifices so 
would they be forgiven and rise in the scale of the soul's pro- 
gression. So zealous did they often become that they even 
sacrificed human life in offering up their devotions to Deity. 

When speaking of the Druids in the continuation of this 
discussion, for brevity's sake, we refer to them as represent- 



310 Christian Peksecutions. 

ing the whole people, and not as merely designating the indi- 
vidual priests that controlled them. We have given this de- 
scriptive history of them for the purpose of explaining the real 
ancestry of the Irish race, which ancestry, in point of intelli- 
gence, in skill, in enterprise, in honesty of purpose, and, above 
all, in absolute submission to the conditions under which they 
existed, was superior to any other nation of Europe. While 
the religion of the Irish ancestry was a species of Pagan 
idolatry, yet they can point with pride to the wonderful devel- 
opment of the mind in all the phases of learning, of industry, 
and attainments. We can see that this early submission to an 
established order of things was the groundwork of their future 
resistance of persecution and oppression. With the Druids it 
was absolute submission to law, faith, and morality, and when 
converted to Christianity, they still retained this wonderful 
characteristic, as is shown by their resistance against religious 
oppression, which marks the life of the Irish nation. Other 
nations have yielded to the demands of intolerance, of reforma- 
tion, and of persecution, but these people have never yielded 
their submission beyond, perhaps, an outward semblance of 
obedience. In their hearts they worshiped according to the 
dictates of conscience. While it is true in many cases, to 
avoid the cruelties of unjust intolerance, they denied their 
faith, sanctioned the oppression, and eveni assisted in the 
establishment of an opposition, yet at the same time they 
prayed in their hearts for forgiveness in thus practicing false- 
hood and deceit. And to-day, as we see the Irish people of 
the whole world, we find that where they have recovered from 
the cruelties of tyranny, where they have had opportunities 



Irish Persecution. 311 

of development, the same wonderful expansion of intellect 
has taken place that characterized the ancient Druids. While 
for centuries this intelligence lay dormant in the prison of 
debasement, yet as soon as the ,cloud of oppression has passed, 
we see the germ of past brilliancy spring to the surface, dis- 
playing, in all its splendor, the strength of character main- 
tained in all the fields of life. It is a proverbial saying that 
quick inspirations of thought and action to-day are more spon- 
taneous among the Irish than any other race. In them in- 
tellectuality lies latent, because of centuries of forced silence 
and forced persecution, but when once given the stimulus of 
schooling, the inherent principles of these slumbering Druids 
come to the surface and speak volumes for the real worth 
which lies at the base of the Irish nation. 

In the conversion of Ireland to Christianity St. Patrick met 
with serious difficulties in explaining to the people the error 
of their worship, and in directing them into the light of the 
true faith. With unremitting zeal he traversed the country 
from one end to the other, establishing monasteries and in- 
augurating monastic life, and providing for the education of 
an able and efficient clergy. In the furtherance of this cause 
he won the confidence and assistance of the noblest families, 
and through his system of education was enabled to meet the 
Druids on an equal basis in the exposition of his doctrine of 
divine worship. His converts were made neither by force nor 
persecution, but by the promotion of knowledge, of argument, 
and illustrations. As the Druidical religion lacked charity 
and love, St. Patrick taught the wisdom of God through these 
cardinal virtues. 



312 Chkistian Persecutions. 

St. Patrick lived to a great age, and although he encoun- 
tered many hardships, yet he never allowed himself the pleas- 
ure of visiting his native country. He had chosen this mission 
because of his great desire to disclose the truths of God to 
these people, and he remained faithful to his religious duty 
until the end. He saw their aptness to comprehend the power 
of Christianity, and their ability to spread the light to< other 
lands. In this he was not disappointed. His institutions of 
learning became the promoters of religious science, which was 
to bless and enlighten many nations who were at that time in 
the darkness of paganism. 

As a tribute to St. Patrick we find the following historic 
record : 

"Muchtertach, the chief king, who reigned from 513 to 
533, openly professed Christianity, and multitudes of men of 
all classes and of every age forsook the world to follow Christ. 
The face of the whole island was changed. A nation which 
but a few short years before had been shrouded in the darkness 
of paganism was suddenly illuminated by the pure rays of 
divine truth. Erin became the island of saints, the home and 
refuge of learning and of holiness, and the nursery from 
whence missionaries went forth to carry the light of faith to 
the nations of the European continent. Her children pre- 
served the faith of Christ as pure and entire as it came from 
the lips of her apostle; heresy and schism were unknown to 
them, and loyalty to the successor of St. Peter was one of 
their most distinctive characteristics. " 

Such historic facts must stir the pride of every true Cath- 
olic, for nowhere in the history of Christianity has the faith 



Irish Persecution. 313 

spread with such perfect peace and understanding as in Ire- 
land. There were no discussions, no persecution, no blood- 
shed. The pure spirit of St. Patrick seemed to inspire all, from 
hamlet to city, and from palace to cottage, until the gospel 
had spread from one end of the island to the other. It was 
the grandest conversion in all Christendom. It was the con- 
version of a whole nation, which to this day has maintained 
an abiding faith in the Church of Rome. 

Well may the Irish race venerate St. Patrick, for of all 
Saints who have labored in the cause of Christianity none can 
excel his record in the conversion of a whole nation, and in 
the establishment of a system of learning by which agency 
the benign influence of the gospel was spread to other coun- 
tries. While St. Patrick did not accomplish this wonderful 
achievement single-handed, yet he laid the foundation upon 
which, in later years, was built the grand structure of Chris- 
tianity, and into which was gathered the harvest of converted 
souls. 

As it is not our purpose to give the political history of 
Ireland, we will only sketch some of the principal events while 
hurrying forward to the time of the religious persecutions of 
Henry VIII, Edward VI, Elizabeth, James I, the fanatic 
Cromwell, and those of recent origin. 

About the beginning of the ninth century the Northmen, 
or Norsemen, who were the inhabitants of Denmark, Norway, 
and Sweden, for the first time in history made their appear- 
ance along the coasts of the British Isles, Germany, and Gaul. 
They came in the character of Danish pirates, and every sum- 
mer these dreaded sea-rovers made swift descent upon the 

(21) 



314 Christian Peesecutions. 

exposed shores of these countries and plundered the people, 
burned the hamlets, and where resistance was offered, the in- 
habitants were murdered; after which pillaging they would 
return to their own lands to spend the winter and return again 
the next season. Becoming emboldened by their successes, 
these corsairs established settlements along the shores and 
took possession of strips of territory. These invasions were 
also directed against Ireland with considerable energy, but 
from a religious standpoint they were not particularly severe, 
their object being merely conquest for pillage and plunder. 

The Norman conquest of England, while it changed the 
line of English sovereigns, did not materially change the 
government of Ireland. The true Christian religion was main- 
tained in its original purity without deviation. In some par- 
ticulars certain observances were not in exact harmony with 
the established practice of Rome, but having been instructed 
under, or through, the influence of their beloved St. Patrick, 
no inducement could be brought to bear to permit or to effect 
a change. 

The history of Ireland furnishes us a list of one hundred 
and seventy-eight kings who ruled over her, and of this num- 
ber seventy-one were killed in battle and sixty were murdered. 
This gives us some idea of the contention which has ever been 
a handicap to the progress and enterprise of this nation. After 
Henry II had ascended the throne of England in 1154, he 
engaged in a war of conquest of Ireland, and divided the 
lands, in vast tracts, principally among his favorites. The 
chiefs recognizing these gifts, but still holding possession sim- 
ilar to the system of landlord estates which have so seriously 
crippled this country. 



Irish Persecution. 315 

It was not until the reign of Henry VIII, that the regular 
religious persecution began. Under this monarch the Irish 
people were persecuted much as were the Catholics in Eng- 
land, although not with the same individual supervision. The 
Irish Parliament was selected from those who recognized the 
authority of Henry, and in the selection of officers Catholics 
were denied appointment, unless they would renounce their 
religion and swear allegiance to the king and the Church of 
England. After the death of Henry VIII, Edward VI sought 
to continue the same form of intolerance as was practiced by 
his father, but on the introduction of the English Reform 
Worship the Irish steadfastly refused to recognize it as a 
religion, and when compelled to take part in the services they 
did so from motives of policy and not from the promptings 
of an honest conscience. The religion was ever hateful to 
them, and in its observance the act was but the act of a 
machine moved by the force of power to< obedience, and when 
performed, was looked upon merely as a species of labor that 
must be repeated only when there was a demand from the 
master. The Irish were condemned to obey a hateful religious 
worship so long that they educated themselves to< a practice 
of policy to cover their real feelings, thus protecting them- 
selves from the violence of oppression. 

Under Queen Mary the Irish heart bounded with freedom 
and joy, because she released the people from the religious 
oppression of Henry and Edward. They could now enjoy the 
full faith of their ancestors. Protestantism became nearly ex- 
tinct in Ireland, for all those who had worn the cloak of policy 
immediately embraced the opportunity to publicly praise God 



316 Christian Persecutions. 

from the bottom of their hearts. But this happy condition 
was ended by the death of Mary and the crowning of Eliza- 
beth as Queen of England. With Elizabeth it was a precon- 
ceived plan to undo all that Mary had done, and to renew 
the persecution. A systematic series of atrocious oppressions 
was now inaugurated. The failure of Henry and Edward to 
produce religious reform, and the quick response to the ap- 
peals of Mary, embittered Elizabeth against the Irish, and she 
determined to Protestantize the whole island. Insurrections 
frequently followed Elizabeth's commands, as the people 
would not obey them, but they were finally subdued and the 
religion of England was declared to be the only faith that 
could exist. The clergy and people were punished for heresy. 
Their refusal to submit to this wicked persecution caused 
them to be placed on the rack, to be condemned to the scaf- 
fold, their property confiscated, and their civil qualifications 
denied. But with all the determination manifested by Elizabeth 
to root out the Irish love for the Church of Rome, yet at her 
death, history informs us, "not even sixty of the natives had 
become Protestants.'' Her efforts in this direction only tended 
to more strongly cement their faith in the teachings of St. 
Patrick, which had now become so interwovdm into their very 
constitution that it could never be expelled. Among those 
Who suffered martyrdom were these three important per- 
sonages in Ireland's religious history: Dermot O'Hurley, 
Archbishop of Cashel; Patrick O'Healy, Bishop of Mayo, and 
Richard Creagh, Archbishop of Armagh. 

But hard as was the condition of the Irish people under 
Elizabeth, yet harder still were the decrees of James I, who, 



Irish Persecution. 317 

when he ascended the throne, ordered the Catholic priests to 
leave the country under pain of death. In his amnesty act 
he granted pardon and benefits to all except "Papists and as- 
sassins/' and the Catholic religious service was forbidden even 
in private. In the act of pardon, issued by the king, Catholics 
were regarded as no better than assassins. To more fully 
accomplish his purpose, Catholic property was confiscated and 
the individuals colonized, and the direst threats issued to com- 
pel obedience. With all these efforts, however, their religion 
could not be suppressed. 

Under the reign of Charles I these unrighteous persecu- 
tions still continued until the people arose as one man for 
"God, king, and fatherland." Charles had failed to keep his 
pledge, and now, driven to desperation by continued persecu- 
tion, they rose in defense of their rights. 

Early in the year 1642 the national convention at Kilkenny 
declared war for the protection of the Irish religion, for the 
independence of the Irish Parliament, and for the upholding 
of the king's pledge to conifer the fifty-one graces that were 
granted in 1628 and suppressed by the Earl of Stafford, Vice- 
roy of Ireland. In this conflict the Irish were apparently suc- 
cessful, and the king was about to grant concessions when 
the English and Scotch Parliaments denied making peace 
with Catholics, except upon positive submission. The king 
soon became unpopular throughout England, civil war en- 
sued, and he became a prisoner in the hands of the English 
and Scotch rebels. 

In order to follow the fortunes of Ireland with a small 
degree of historic knowledge, we must notice the condition of 



318 Christian Persecutions. 

the English government under Charles I. Charles ascended 
the throne with the declared thought that kings rule by divine 
right. He was forced, however, to sign a "Petition of Rights" 
granting a species of constitutional protection to the people. 
Parliament to him was only an instrument of use, and when 
not necessary in his personal service, may be suppressed. 
From 1629 to 1640, eleven years, he ruled without convening 
this branch of government, thus changing it to an absolute 
monarchy. To sustain himself in his tyranny and usurpation 
of public rights, he surrounded himself with servile followers 
a'nd unscrupulous agents whoHevised means which apparently 
sustained him in his self-ordained authority. He was again 
declared the supreme head of the English Church, with abso- 
lute power to dictate the appointments of those who directed 
the affairs of religion. To give his civil proceedings the 
semblance of lawfulness, he established certain courts, invest- 
ing them with seeming authority, and demanded the execution' 
of his edicts. These courts were known as the "Council of the 
North," the "Star Chamber/' and the "High Commission 
Court." As all these courts were the instruments of the king's 
pleasure, and as they sat without jury, it is easily seen why 
the courts of the land sanctioned his high treason^ towards 
the rights of the people. 

The Council of the North was a tribunal established by 
Henry VIII, for the enforcement of the king's despotism in 
the turbulent northern counties of England. The Star Cham- 
ber Court dealt chiefly with criminal cases against the govern- 
ment, such as riots, libels, and conspiracy. Being a secret 
court, individuals could be tried on the smallest pretext as 



Ikish Persecution. 319 

conspirators, or libelers of the government, or king, and con- 
demned. The High Commission Court dealt with the enforce- 
ment of the acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, and was the 
source of extreme persecution of Catholics. This court was 
established by Elizabeth during her malignant persecution, 
and was composed of forty-four commissioners, who, as those 
in all other courts, were tools of the king in enforcing and 
sustaining his power. The arbitrary and despotic character of 
the government of Charles in the enforcement of civil and 
religious laws, and the helpless condition in which the people 
were placed by the subserviency of the courts to his will, 
caused thousand's to seek America for that freedom and secur- 
ity which was denied them at home. 

England was ready to rise in rebellion, when the Presby- 
terians of Scotland, who were being forced to use the English 
liturgy, resisted and openly revolted. This resistance spread 
to all classes. The nobles, the peasants, and nearly all the 
people of Scotland made, a solemn covenant to resist to the 
very last every attempt to make innovations in their religion. 
By this act they became known as Covenanters. This oc- 
curred in 1638. The king, seeing the danger of a universal 
rebellion, sought to subdue these riotous Scotchmen by force, 
but his oppression had gone so far that they crossed the bor- 
der and demanded a recognition of rights. In this emergency 
the king convened Parliament, which immediately took steps 
to correct some of the abuses. Stafford and Laud, the most 
prominent instruments of the king's tyranny, were executed; 
and the three iniquitous courts abolished, and some resem- 
blance of justice was being meted out when Charles sought 



320 Christian Persecutions. 

to seize five of the most prominent members of the House of 
Commons on a charge of treason, the object being to intimi- 
date the House and force it to recognize his absolute author- 
ity. But this was the one fatal step of the king. All London 
arose in defense of the rights of Parliament. Charles fled, and 
civil war was soon raging. The country was now divided into 
two great contending forces — those who rallied to the stand- 
ard of the king, andtho'se who sought for freedom from op- 
pression. For six years England now suffered the terrible 
experiences of fraternal strife. As space will not permit us to 
describe this conflict, we will simply mention that it is at this 
time that the world first hears of Oliver Cromwell, his suc- 
cesses in battle, his defeat of the king's armies, the execution 
of Charles, and the establishment of the Commonwealth of 
England. 

Early in the campaigns of this rebellion., Oliver Cromwell 
became known as a zealous, or fanatic, Presbyterian, and in 
his regiment, the "Ironsides,'' every man was an ardent de- 
fender of his Puritanic faith. The ability of this man to organ- 
ize and to administer diseiplinie was so great that he soon 
rose to be the commanding officer of the rebellion. His army 
of 20,000 enthusiastic Puritans was a marvel of power and 
obedience. In the battle of Naseby, Cromwell defeated the 
Royalists with great loss, and the cause of the king was irre- 
trievably lost. Charles escaped into Scotland, but was sur- 
rendered to Parliament. We now find Cromwell transformed 
from the dictator of battles to the dictator of laws. Parliament 
desired to restore Charles to the throne, but Cromwell decided 
otherwise. He ordered an officer by the name of Pride to be 



Ieish Persecution. 321 

stationed at the door of the hall, to arrest every member 
obnoxious to the army and thus prevent an act of restoration. 
In the execution of this high-handed usurpation of authority, 
one hundred and forty members were arrested, leaving only 
those who were Independents (Presbyterians) to sustain this 
act of military despotism. This act of Cromwell's is known 
in history as "Pride's Purge." The Commons being "purged," 
they set about an immediate trial of Charles for treason. A 
High Court of Justice, consisting of one hundred and fifty 
members, was organized and Charles was condemned to be 
executed "as a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and enemy of his 
country.'' 

A few weeks after the execution of Charles the House of 
Commons voted to abolish the monarchy and the House of 
Lords, and to establish a republic under the name of "The 
Commonwealth." In this new government the executive 
authority consisted of a Council of State, composed of forty- 
one members, with Cromwell as the real directing influence. 

The Commonwealth thus instituted by the enthusiasm of 
religious and political power, was being surrounded with new 
dangers. Europe was alarmed at the execution of Charles, 
and Russia, France, and Holland refused to recognize its 
power. The Scots were now repenting for having surrendered 
their native sovereign, and to remove this stain of disloyalty, 
publicly proclaimed his son their king with the title of Charles 
the Second. The Irish also declared for the Prince, while the 
Dutch were preparing to render assistance. In England the 
Royalists were conspiring to unite all the forces and crush the 
new Republic. 



322 Christian Persecutions. 

In the war with the Irish Cromwell was made Lord 
Lieutenant of Ireland, and to explain and describe this awful 
butchery we will record from a page of history: 

"With his Ironsides he made quick and terrible work of 
the conquest of the island. Having taken by storm the town 
of Drogheda, he massacred the entire garrison, consisting of 
three thousand men. About a thousand who- had sought asy- 
lum in a church were butchered there without mercy. The 
capture of other towns was accompanied by massacres little 
less terrible. The conqueror's march through the island was 
the devastating march of an Attila or a Zenghis Khan.'' 

The following is his own account of the manner in which 
he dealt with the captured garrisons: 

"When they submitted, their officers were knocked on the 
bead, and every tenth man of the soldiers killed, and the rest 
shipped to Barbadoes (to be sold into slavery)." 

This butchery was the most heartless, inhuman, and un- 
christian in the whole annals of wars and persecution. A 
strong, invincible force was marching against the weak, and 
when the weaker surrendered none of the honors of warfare 
were granted, but instead the mad rage of infuriated demons 
was given full sway. In Cromwell's heartless disposition of 
prisoners the spirit of ancient savagery is strikingly exempli- 
fied, yet, forsooth, history informs us that his army of 20,000 
men were "all honest, fervent, God-fearing, psalm-singing 
Puritans. When not fighting, they studied the Bible, prayed 
and sang hymns. Since Godfrey led his crusaders to the Holy 
Sepulcher, the world had not beheld another such an army 
of religious enthusiasts. From Cromwell down to the lowest 



Irish Persecution. 323 

soldier of the 'New Model' every man felt called of the Lord 
to strike down all forms of tyranny in Church and State." 

In 1653 Cromwell was made "Lord Protector of the Com- 
monwealth," and although he had previously assumed abso- 
lute control, yet not until now had it been conferred upon him 
by legal authority. His administration was despotic and ty- 
rannical. Royalists and Roman Catholics were treated with 
rigor and shamefully persecuted. The press was placed under 
his absolute censorship, and nothing was published unless it 
met his approval. He kept a strong army in Scotland, while 
the Irish Royalists were repressed with remorseless severity. 
Thousands were massacred and tens of thousands were trans- 
ported to the West Indies, to be sold as slaves. 

By this almost ceaseless work of wickedness, however, 
Cromwell undermined his constitution, and on September 3d, 
1658, he died, leaving his son Richard to be his successor. 
Richard was weak and exactly the opposite of his father, and 
after ruling a few months resigned the Protectorate. In the 
restoration of the monarchy, Charles II was called from Hol- 
land to resume the affairs of government as left by his father, 
Charles I. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

. IRISH PERSECUTION— Continued. 
CROMWELL IN IRELAND. 

r I "HE history of Oliver Cromwell is one of the most in- 
* human and bloodthirsty in the records of the Protestant 
Reformation. Few men, in the history of the world, have a 
record so tyrannically black; yet by some this man is lauded, 
and the tributes of a hero, a man of true character, and a man 
of Christian virtues bestowed upon him. To read his life, 
serves to inspire pity for the historian who attempts to justify 
his acts under the plea of war, insurrection, or the establish- 
ment of a religious creed. His whole military life was filled 
with the ambition to stand at the head of the English govern^ 
ment, and to dictate its laws and the enforcement of them. 
To create popularity, fear, or notoriety, he sought those fields 
best adapted to promote them. In religion, he raised the 
banner of Puritanism, and assembled an army of fanatics, 
which was ever ready to wage war against those who would 
not accept his belief. His was a crusade against religion, 
against the Church of Rome, and against the Catholics of 
Ireland. Ostensibly, it is true, his conquests were for the 
avowed purpose of subjugating a rebellious province, but his 
persecutions were waged for the purpose of reaping glory and 
furthering his own ambitions. 

Had Cromwell been raised outside of the influences of 

324 



Irish Persecution. 325 

Christianity, had he been a barbarian or a sea-roving pirate 
on a mission of plunder, pillage, and ruin, there might have 
been some excuses for the awful murders which he committed 
in the name of law and religion. He conquered Ireland, not 
to subdue an insurrection, but to supplant the lawful sovereign, 
to destroy the Catholic Church, and to establish the Puritan 
doctrine, which he championed as the only true light for the 
worship of men. When we consider that this apostle of per- 
secution was denominated a devout and God-fearing man, 
that he organized an army of praying Puritans, that he went 
to battle with the sword in one hand and the Bible in the 
other, that he praised God for the favors of liberty, of enlight- 
enment, and of being the instrument under God for advancing 
Christianity, we are astounded to find that with all these 
attributes of apparent manhood the history of his Christian 
forbearance shows him to have been devoid of the first senti- 
ment of humanity, of compassion, or of divine virtue. For 
him to be tolerated as a Christian, is an insult to Christ and 
| his martyred crucifixion; it is an insult even to the principle 
of Reformation; an insult to fanaticism, and the worst forms 
of a crazed religious persecution. If it had been fanaticism, 
we might have ascribed his atrocities to a deluded motive, a 
disordered brain, or a condition beyond the control of reason, 
but when we find him boasting of his cruelties, his slaughters, 
and his murders, we must honor the fanatic for his motive, 
and cannot designate Cromwell more fittingly than as being 
a Christian-demon, a man-devil, a soul filled with hatred, with 
hypocrisy, and with blasphemy of God. 

By act of Parliament, Cromwell was appointed to the office 



326 Christian Persecutions. 

of Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and with affected surprise at 
such a nomination, and after much apparent hesitation, ac- 
cepted the command ; in reality, however, it was his ambition 
to continue his career as a blazing wonder, a great chieftain, 
and a leader of the empire. Secretly there was a higher mo- 
tive than conquest, or subjugation. He must first surround 
himself with victory over all opposition to Church and royalty. 
He must crush Ireland, because Ireland was Catholic. He 
must make his name illustrious by sword and persecution, by 
fear, by imtoleration, and by what he called the awful retribu- 
tion of God. Then, when he had reached the apex of dele- 
gated power, he would seize the reins of government and 
become the Dictator of England — the goal of his ambition. 

Immediately on entering Ireland, August 15, 1649, he 
commenced the subjugation of the country. Previous to his 
arrival his forces had defeated Ormond near Dublin, with a 
loss of all his baggage, tents, and supplies. Cromwell's forces 
also captured two thousand five hundred prisoners, and killed 
four thousand royal troops. This defeat had much to do with 
the personal success of Cromwell, who, on his arrival, attacked 
Drogheda with a terrible assault, and put to the. sword every 
form of opposition. "Priests, monks, citizens, and soldiers" 
were massacred in a fanatical and frenzied rage. This reign 
of terror lasted two days, and all those who escaped the first 
day were hunted out and butchered the second, and history 
informs us, "one person alone escaping, to carry the mourn- 
ful tidings to Ormond." 

The fate of Drogheda was the fate of every city and town 
that did not surrender at the first summons of the Puritan 



Irish Persecution. 327 

tyrant, who, to cover his bloodthirsty tyranny, praised God for 
his successes, and with the Bible in one hand, wrote with the 
other an order to let no Catholic escape. His chief motive 
was to strike terror into the minds of the inhabitants and the 
garrisons. At Wexford the garrison made a slight resistance 
and then surrendered, but this resistance, though small, cost 
them their lives. On the least pretext, especially when there 
was opposition, he would give an order to murder innocent 
men, women, and children, and spare none; in fact, to anni- 
hilate everything. 

To fittingly illustrate Cromwell's infamy and his outrage of 
every Christian virtue, we cannot do better than give his own 
statement when questioned as to the disposition of his pris- 
oners : "When they submitted, their officers were knocked on 
the head, and every tenth man of the soldiers killed, and the 
rest shipped to Barbadoes." 

We find that in this manner twenty thousand were sent to 
the West Indies and sold as slaves, and many thousands more, 
chiefly women, were sent to* the American colonies. 

To describe the real condition of the Catholics in Ireland 
after their subjugation, we will quote from Alzog, the great 
German Church Historian, page 253, vol. iii: 

"Those who were not sent abroad were shut up in the 
western province of Connaught. Preparations for the settle- 
ment of Connaught by the Catholics were completed by the 
year 1653, and, by an act of the English Parliament, all who 
were found after the date of May 1, 1654, on the eastern side 
of the Shannon, were liable to the penalty of death. British 
settlements, extending to the distance of several miles, were 



328 Christian Persecutions. 

planted along the seacoast and the western bank of the Shan- 
non, and composed of men long trained to military service. 
Judging by human standards, the Catholic religion was as 
good as extinct in Ireland. This barbarous proscription was 
applied to all the land-owners of the island who could not 
prove that during the whole time of the civil war they had 
shown a 'constant good affection to the cause of the parlia- 
ment.' It must also be borne in mind that Connaught had 
been made desolate by the civil wars, and that those of the 
nobility who could trace their ancestry back to the dim mists 
where history begins, and who had been accustomed to move 
about in noble palaces and enjoy all the luxuries of life, could 
not find a dwelling place fit for a human being to abide in. 
Famine supervened to add to- the misery of war and persecu- 
tion, and historians, Protestant and Catholic alike, agree in 
stating that no pen can adequately portray the hardships and 
sufferings which this poor but gallant people underwent for 
religion's sake. Of a hierarchy of twenty-six prelates, three 
only were permitted to remain; and of the priests, those who 
were not martyred were condemned to go into exile, only 
twenty-eight days being given them to quit the kingdom.'' 

Thus Cromwell, the zealous follower of John Calvin, and 
the most wonderful figure in the history of England, came 
like a storm cloud upon the field of revolution, won his vic- 
tories through the force of a perfect discipline; "purged" the 
House of Commons of all offensive members; overthrew the 
monarchy; abolished the House of Lords; established The 
Commonwealth; and in the furtherance of his despotic power, 
accepted from the hands of his own servants the Protectorship 



Irish Persecution. 329 

of his own Commonwealth. Besides this, he blackened his 
name by his butcheries of Irish subjects, and ruled his sub- 
jects, in constant fear and consternation, with savage despot- 
ism. His was a career of mad fanaticism. He knew no tolera- 
tion, no justice to opposition, and no mercy to those who did 
not follow his Puritanic faith. His soul was filled, not with 
charity and forgiveness, but with malice, hatred, and persecu- 
tion. He pretended to be a Christian, and prayed God to 
direct his footsteps. In his insane vengeance, however, he 
murdered with a remorseless conscience, and his record of 
barbarous cruelties, his persecutions and massacres, his con- 
fiscation of property and ruin of cities, proves him one of the 
greatest tyrants the world ever saw, and well worthy of this 
epitaph: 

Here lies Oliver Cromwell, the cruel tyrant, the pitiless 
murderer, the zealous Christian Reformer, and the man 
"called of the Lord'' to destroy heresy, to destroy the Catholic 
Church, to destroy unchristian influence, and in its place to 
establish the true Puritan worship, and to force Christianity 
in his own narrow limits of persecution, bloodshed, and ruin. 
He came as one of the greatest soldiers of England, over- 
threw all forms of government, but in the height of his 
achievements died a traitor to justice, a despot to freedom, 
and a dishonor to Christianity. 

WILLIAM OF ORANGE. 

By the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II the 
Catholics were relieved of the terrible persecution under 
Cromwell. The regicides retained the lands they had stolen, 

(22) 



330 Christian Persecutions. 

but the Catholic owners were reimbursed with a very small 
proportion of their just dues. Charles was willing to grant 
concessions, but he was opposed by the Protestant party and 
denounced for the thought of toleration. A short interval of 
peace was established under Lord Berkeley, and on the acces- 
sion of James II to the throne, in 1685, the Catholics of Ireland 
were granted full freedom of worship, and a perfect equality 
under the law in all their civil and political rights and 
privileges. 

James II publicly declared himself a Catholic. He set 
about restoring the Catholic worship in all its past fervor. 
These acts produced the most violent protestations from the 
Protestant party. They declared they would submit to no 
change, and denounced James as a despotic tyrant. Before 
he had been king three months the Duke of Monmouth, an 
illegitimate son of Charles II, who had been in exile in the 
Netherlands, now came forth at the head of a small army, and 
with the promise of thousands who would flock to his stand- 
ard, invaded England, but was defeated by the royal troops. 
All who were connected with this rebellion were sentenced to 
death on the charge of treason. The number condemned to 
death was 320 persons, and those who were exiled numbered 
841. The court over which Chief Justice Jeffries presided was 
called the "Bloody Assizes." Without doubt the trial of these 
rebels was a mockery upon justice, but when we consider that 
James II was lawfully enthroned, and that the revolt was 
premeditatedly engaged in for a usurpation of power, we can- 
not conscientiously agree with certain Protestant historians 
that it was a persecution against Protestants, but rather it 
was a meting out of punishment for committing treason. 



Irish Persecution. 331 

It was James' right, as sovereign king of England, to pro- 
claim himself a Catholic, if he chose to do so, and to seek to 
restore the Catholic faith, just the same as previous Protestant 
kings had overthrown the Catholic and established the Prot- 
estant religion. For over one hundred and fifty years it had 
been a see-saw conflict between Catholics and Protestants in 
the religious government of England. Each party, on its 
accession to power, immediately sought to establish their form 
of worship, and to compel its observance by force of law. 
With James the Catholic end of the plank was now up, and as 
had been previously done, he followed the course of the 
victors. 

The Protestant party was now looking for an opportunity 
to overthrow James, and secretly conferred with the Prince 
of Orange, son-in-law of James, the chief magistrate of the 
United Provinces of Holland, and one of the most powerful 
Protestant Reformers of Europe, urging him to come to the 
rescue of Protestantism in England. As his wife, Mary, was a 
legal heir to the throne, they should come with force, and, 
inaugurating a new rebellion at home, overthrow James and 
restore the Protestant faith. The bait was accepted, and a 
Dutch fleet set sail for England, where he successfully organ- 
ized a revolt so great that the king and queen fled to France, 
leaving the Prince of Orange in full possession of the govern- 
ment. 

The first act of the Prince of Orange was to call a con- 
vention for the purpose of establishing the permanent settle- 
ment of the crown. This Convention conferred the royal 
authority upon William and Mary as joint sovereigns. The 



332 Cheistian Persecutions. 

Convention also established certain Declarations of Rights 
by which the liberties of the people should be guaranteed, and 
Parliament should become the governing power. With a 
pledged acknowledgment of these rights, William and Mary 
were crowned King and Queen of England. 

In the establishment of the Declaration of Rights, or as 
framed into law, the Bill of Rights forever settled the question 
in England of the sovereign rights of kings. It "transferred 
sovereignty from the king to the House of Commons," and 
the power of kings should be to execute the laws of Parlia- 
ment, and not to create them. But let us examine the new 
Bill of Rights, which was to grant liberties to the people. It 
declared that all persons holding communion with the Church 
of Rome should be "forever incapable to> possess, inherit, or 
enjoy the crown and government of the realm." This declara- 
tion has not been annulled, and remains in force to the present 
day. But what of the justice of a law which grants boasted 
liberties and aims to more firmly cement union, which forever 
bars one class because of its religion? Is it not persecution 
most unchristianlike ? 

James now crossed over to Ireland and placed himself at 
the head of the Irish people, who had remained loyal to him. 
The Prince of Orange became enraged at this treasonable 
conduct (it was treason now on the other side), and went to 
give him battle. William was successful in his invasion of 
Ireland, and in the decisive battle of Boyne he gained a com- 
plete victory over James and his allied forces. But woe to 
the day when the Irish people enraged the great Christian 
apostle, William of Orange. Cromwell did all he could to 



Ikish Peesecution. 333 

humiliate, debase, and to completely subjugate these people. 
He sought to destroy their religion by force and through 
persecution; to intimidate, punish, disgrace, and even exact 
the penalty of death in order to destroy their faith in the 
Church of Rome. But of no avail. Like the ancient Chris- 
tians of Rome, they meekly submitted to the awful cruelties 
of Cromwell's oppression and despotic tyranny. Though he 
persecuted the flesh with all the rigor of law, and assailed the 
heart, the mind, the reason, yet he could not obliterate from 
the conscience of the true Catholic of Ireland that simple and 
ever-enduring faith which he held for Christ in the adopted 
worship of their religion. 

No people, since the idolatrous times of Pagan persecu- 
tion, were more fiercely followed by the demon of oppression 
than were the Irish under Cromwell, yet the history of William 
of Orange abounds with deeds more foul if possible than were 
ever committed by previous tyrants. Through force he had 
usurped the throne of England, and through force he would 
reduce Ireland from the enjoyment of the religion of James II 
to the worse than religious slavery of Cromwell. He inaugu- 
rated a new form of persecution, which may be understood in 
some small degree when we recite some of the means he used 
to extort a confession of faith for the Protestant party. Will- 
iam promised freedom of conscience and worship, but at the 
same time so surrounded these privileges as to humiliate the 
conscience in its unseen persecution. While there was an 
apparent outward appearance of toleration, yet the restrictions 
were so inhuman in the declaration of justice as to rob the 
Catholic worship of half its pleasure, its beauties of coneep- 



834 Christian Persecutions. 

tion, and its power to carry to the heart the sublime teachings 
of _the Great Master. 

To follow the persecutions of William, and Queen Anne, 
who came after him, would require a volume of description. 
We will, therefore, give only the particulars and allow the 
reader to draw his own conclusions. 

To reduce to slavery and poverty, their property was con- 
fiscated and given to those who sought favors at the hands 
of the sovereigns. These estates became the" property of 
Protestant landlords, and although the laws were supposed to 
protect even the lowest individuals in their individual rights, 
yet these poor Irish peasants, robbed of their inheritance, 
were now subjected to insults, abuse, indecency, and all the 
petty annoyances which overbearing lords could inflict. They 
had no regard for condition or feelings, and while laws were 
made to protect them from this barbarous and inhuman treat- 
ment, yet they were never enforced and there was no redress. 
The courts were a mockery and controlled by the nobility, 
and justice was as fleeting as were the mythical gods of old. 
If an Irish peasant attempted to bring a charge of abuse he 
was turned aside in the great court of justice and made to feel 
his humbleness, his degradation, and his slavery. 

To crush the spirit of faith the Catholic bishops were ban- 
ished from the island, and the priests who were allowed to 
remain were required to take an oath of abjuration against the 
Stuarts, have their names recorded, and furnish two securities 
of £50 each as a guarantee of loyalty. They were prohibited 
from performing church duties in any other parish, nor could 
they leave the country. They were prisoners under a money 



Irish Persecution. 335 

forfeit. No divine service could be held outside the church 
under pain of banishment, and in church services there could 
be no ecclesiastical raiment, no use of bells, no cross to desig- 
nate a place of worship, no images or crucifixes, no emblems 
of veneration, and those who sought holy pilgrimages were 
punished with the lash. Officers could question Catholics as 
to where they attended Mass, who had said it, and who else 
was present. If these questions did not satisfy the officer he 
could impose a penalty — a fine of £20. 

The education of their children was difficult, as the estab- 
lishment of private schools was prohibited. Catholic teachers 
were banished, and their return subjected them to the penalty 
of death. To secure the banishment of all these teachers, the 
government paid £5 per head to transport them to the West 
Indies. Catholics were even denied the right to educate their 
children on the continent, and if there was a suspicion that a 
child was not at home a magistrate could demand that it be 
brought forward, under a severe penalty for disobedience. To 
send a child to the continent to be brought up in the Catholic 
faith meant the disqualification from civil rights, while parents 
were positively forbidden to teach their children the faith of 
their religion, yet the government established Protestant 
schools for proselyting them, and compelled their attendance. 
In order to completely fill the measure of persecution, all 
Catholic orphans were given in charge of Protestant guardians. 

But although persecution is bad enough, what can be said 
of rewarding apostasy? Priests were offered £20, then £30, 
and then £40 annuities to renounce their churches and preach 
the Protestant faith. If the eldest son of a Catholic turned 



336 Christian Persecutions. 

Protestant, he became possessed of the whole property of the 
parents. Should others accept the Reform worship, the Chan- 
cellor of Ireland would determine his inheritance. A woman 
who would denounce the Church might separate herself from 
her husband, and for a priest to marry a Catholic and a 
Protestant was to incur the penalty of death. To further 
crush the Church of Rome, Catholics were excluded from all 
the offices of State, the army, the navy, were not permitted 
to serve as magistrates or hold any office or emolument what- 
soever, and in 1703 they were excluded from both Houses of 
Parliament. They were also' forbidden to purchase landed 
property, and leases were of short duration. In the exaction 
of leases the tenant was obliged to give two-thirds. A Cath- 
olic could not become a lawyer, or juryman, and in carrying 
on a trade they were subjected to inconveniences and restric- 
tions. 

The Protestant clergy took possession of the rich Catholic 
benefices, and in one hundred and ninety-eight instances not 
a single Protestant dwelt in the parish, and yet the Catholics 
were overburdened with taxation for the support of the 
bishops, pastors, and the Anglican Church. To help support 
a religious organization in which they had no interest, was a 
double persecution. Many pastors had no congregation, but 
used the money wrung from their parishioners to travel and 
live sumptuously, while the Catholic priests had to depend 
wholly upon the free contributions from a poor and oppressed 
following to keep them from hunger and starvation. 

These are only a few of the many cruel indignities heaped 
upon the despoiled and oppressed people of Ireland, and all 



Irish Persecution. 337 

because of their loyalty to the Catholic faith. In the entire 
history of civilized nations no such monstrous tyranny was 
ever practiced upon an innocent people. It was not the 
carrying into effect of law and order, but fanatical persecu- 
tion and intolerance, born of hatred to Catholicism, with a 
determination to overthrow the Pope of Rome. 

English statesmen have gradually come to> see how fruit- 
less have been the attempts to subdue the Catholic faith 
among these people by arbitrary laws. Justice, however, to 
Irish Catholics has been slow and long drawn. The cruel 
intoleration has gradually been mitigated, nevertheless, until 
at last many important measures bearing upon the freedom 
of worship and the rights of citizens have been enacted. 

But in all these periods of persecution the faith which had 
been taught by St. Patrick remained firm and unshaken, and 
in the whole religious world no people have a record of such 
unfaltering devotion to divine worship as have the people 
of Ireland. 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

ORIGIN OF THE GREEK CHURCH. 

r I ^HE origin of this Church, where established, and its man- 
* ner of worship, is not generally understood. Originally 
it was a part of the Catholic Church, and, in fact, the most 
earnest in the advancement of science and learning, and in 
the spread of Christianity, but in the early days of its existence 
it became estranged because of its inability to force a recogni- 
tion of certain forms of faith which were opposed by the 
Church of Rome. Being at the time the most influential, and, 
in fact, the most powerful branch of Christianity, the Church 
dignitaries believed they had the right to, dictate what should 
and what should not be the proper form of worship. These 
disputed forms of worship or veneration, related more partic- 
ularly to the use of images, pictures and relics representing 
Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Saints. This branch of the 
Catholic Church had conceived the idea that the use of these 
representatives of divine personality was of an idolatrous na- 
ture, a return to pagan principles, and must be suppressed. 
They had become imbued with the thought that images were 
Pagan idols; that they represented Pagan idolatry, instead of 
a veneration for the author of Divine light and intelligence. 
They demanded of the Church of Rome the abolition of all 
their church emblems, of faith and of worship. They also 
demanded that Constantinople, now the head of the empire, 
should also be the head of the Church. The East had been 



Origin of the Greek Church. 339 

the great source of light in the advancement of the cause of 
Christianity and by right of this God-given advantage it should 
also be the head of all religious inspiration. 

To explain the condition of the empire, we must go back 
to the days of Constantine the Great, who, in the year 306, 
became the sole ruler of the Roman world. (In a preceding 
chapter we give the history of Constantine, and his conversion 
to the Christian faith.) After Constantine became converted 
to Christianity, his most important act was to remove the 
capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium, which, in later 
years, was called Constantinople, in honor of his name, Con- 
stantine. The objects of removal were twofold: Constantine 
was ungratefully received and treated by the people of Rome, 
because of his conversion to Christianity. They were loud in 
their disapproval of his abandonment of the worship of their 
old and established mythical deities. They declared his re- 
ligion the outcome of heresy, a declaration of dishonor, and 
an impious desecration of their gods. So> loud were their 
complaints that Constantine decided to move his throne to 
Byzantium, and thus punish the Romans for their intolerance. 
Another reason was one of general commercial interest. 
Through the Eastern conquests the most valuable portions of 
the Roman Empire lay more to the East than to the West. 
It became the center of population, wealth, brilliancy and 
power. Egypt, Syria and Asia Minor had been the source of 
ancient civilization from which Rome was proud to trace her 
origin. West of Rome were the rude and barbarous prov- 
inces of Gaul, Britain and Spain. It is, therefore, not strange 
that Constantine should seek to place the capital of his empire 
nearer the center of population, wealth and culture. 



340 Christian Persecutions. 

And again, it is not strange that the Eastern emperors 
should seek to draw the center of Christianity towards them- 
selves with the idea that, thus separated, a coldness would arise 
between the real Church and the ambition of the Eastern di- 
vision. Having, in a measure, alienated themselves from 
Rome they, in after years, and centuries, became emboldened 
by the advancement of the philosophy of the reformers and 
demanded changes in their forms of worship. 

The Greek emperors were proud and ambitious. They ig- 
nored the authority of the Pope, and to more firmly place their 
power upon the Church, they would assemble bishops to de- 
cide doctrinal matters, and whoever should differ from them 
in opinion would be banished from the empire, accused of in- 
fidelity, held up in disgrace, and, if .defiant in regard to sus- 
taining the true faith, would be tortured, or put to death. The 
whole Eastern division of Christianity now became a source of 
. persecution to the Roman Church. 

About 730 there arose a new emperor — Leo, the Isaurian — 
who placed himself at the head of a new heresy of his own in- 
vention, and sought to force the Church, her bishops and the 
Pope to recognize his new lines of worship. He accused the 
Church with unfaithfulness to God and to Christ. He de- 
nounced the bishops and Pope with the practice of idolatrous 
worship, because they honored the images of Christ and the 
Saints. Gregory III solemnly denied that the Church had 
ever practiced, or sanctioned idolatry, and explained that the 
reverence paid their images was not bestowed upon those in- 
animate forms, but to the Saintly Beings which they repre- 
sented. Gregory also explained that all pictures, images, rel- 



Origin of the Greek Church. 341 

ics and crosses were but symbols of veneration, and not of 
worship, and as the eyes of Catholics rested upon them, their 
thoughts and their souls went out to commune with Christ and 
his divine inspirations. Unlike the worship of the ignorant 
pagan these images of reverence only served to cause us to 
think, to speak and to worship the true and living God. As 
the picture, or emblem of Christ sought to impress the mind 
with holy wisdom, so, too, did tihe cross seek to' lead the way 
to faith and immortality. 

And yet this earnest protestation of Gregory only served 
to enrage the emperor Leo, and in revenge for his audacity 
in questioning his self-appointed power, he issued an edict de- 
claring that all pictures of saints, images of Christ, statues and 
crucifixes should be torn from Churches and private houses 
and destroyed. In obedience to this command, this unholy 
order, churches were desecrated and all the emblems of faith 
were publicly burned. Even the valuable libraries of the 
Church were destroyed and the great crucifix erected to com- 
memorate a brilliant victory, was hewn to pieces and cast into 
the fire. Walls that were decorated with die paintings of his- 
toric figures were ruthlessly demolished, and even the teachers 
of science were called upon to denounce this Christian wor- 
ship, or become the victims of rage and persecution. 

From 741 to 775 this reign of cruelty was increased a 
thousandfold. The new emperor, son of Leo, continued to 
persecute the faithful Christians who held to the veneration of 
these emblems of Christ and his worship. In their martyrdom 
they suffered the terrible pain of having their eyes put out, 
their faces disfigured, their bodies mutilated, and their flesh 



342 Christian Persecutions. 

scourged with the most fiendish and atrocious cruelties. 
Thousands were cast into prison, where, in want and pitiful 
neglect, they died victim's to the baseness of tyrannical power. 
But these persecutions did not appease his wrath. With the 
full force of a most damnable vengeance, he smote the monks 
as being the boldest defenders of them all. No insult, no 
torture that could be invented was spared in this hellish work. 
In his mad rage he commanded that they be burned, as Nero 
burned the Christians at Rome. Their beards were filled with 
pitch and set on fire, their clothes were saturated with oil, their 
naked bodies were rolled in the glowing embers of a prepared 
fire, the flesh was seared with red-hot irons, and in wanton 
abandon, bent upon destruction, he burned convents, tore 
down churches, destroyed holy vessels, broke the wooden 
figures and crosses over the heads of his victims, and in the 
heat of his unanswerable butchery he dug up the bodies of the 
Saints and burned them with fire. 

That this monstrous desecration of human rights, and the 
blasphemous insults to Christ and to the Church might have 
the seal of authority stamped upon it, he called a council, com- 
posed of three hundred and thirty-eight Eastern bishops, who, 
in their servile, fawning, cringing obedience, sanctioned his 
villainy, and in confirmation of the law against image venera- 
tion, declared: 'That as God had formally sent His apostles 
to annihilate idolatry, He had now raised up the Greek em- 
perors and filled them with His wisdom, that by their means 
we might be instructed, and the devil's invention (the honor- 
ing of images) rooted out." 

Reader, can you believe that such an awful, blasphemous. 



Okigin of the Greek Church. 343 

and unholy condition could have existed in the confines of 
Christendom? Does it seem possible that in the cruelty of am- 
bition, or despotism, or under the cover of religious zeal, that 
such intoleration could have become the authorized law of an 
empire? And is it any wonder that, with this most inhuman 
persecution, there must come a time When true Christians 
would no longer stand the oppression, and in defense of their 
very existence, throw these murderers and defamers beyond 
the realm of the Roman Church? But with humble charity and 
forgiveness, let us try to remember that these monstrous em- 
perors were not Christians, but heretics, sent by the devil to 
create dissensions, foment quarrels, and to divide the King- 
dom of Christ. Let us try to believe that this coming dis- 
union, instigated by the Church of the East, hastened its com- 
ing decay and its confiscation of territory by the onward 
march of the hordes of Mahometan followers; that it lost its 
wonderful wisdom, its wealth, its society, and its grandeur of 
power, by this infidelity to the cause of Christ, and its perse- 
cution of the Church of Rome. 

If there was ever a judgment sent by God to avenge his 
people, this judgment was sent to strike the greatness of this 
Eastern empire. From these persecutions began the dry rot 
of dissolution. The Church of .Rome sought to re-establish 
the past union, to hold out the olive-branch of peace and char- 
ity, and to check the downward tendency of a degenerate wor- 
ship. But it was of no avail. The Greek emperors were 
proud, haughty, and fiercely opposed to the authority of the 
Pope of Rome. 

After the death of Leo and his son, Leo- IV, a better feel- 



344 Christian Persecutions. 

ing prevailed, persecution having been abolished by the Em- 
press Irene. In 787 Pope Adrian I called a council at Nicea, 
to determine the will of the Church in the honoring of images 
in the house of God. In this council three hundred and sev- 
enty-seven bishops were present, and after a due consideration 
of the teachings of Holy Scripture, those assembled fathers de- 
clared as follows : 

"That, besides representations of the Holy Cross, holy 
images are fitly to be placed in churches, on sacred vessels, on 
vestments, walls and tablets, in houses and by ithe wayside — 
such images, to wit, as those of our Lord, of the Immaculate 
Mother of God, of the holy Angels, and of the saints. The 
more men contemplate such images, the more will they be 
put in mind of the originals, and stirred up to imitate their 
examples, and to offer them their salutations and homage, 
though not that worship, properly so called, which belongs 
to God alone. It is lawful that images as well as the Holy 
Cross, the book of the Gospels, and other holy things, should 
be honored with incense and lights, according to the ancient 
pious usage; for honor paid to an image passes on to its orig- 
inal, and whoso venerates the image venerates him whom it 
represents/' 

The Catholics were overjoyed at this restoration of peace. 
Soon, however, they were filled with consternation at a new 
outbreak of persecution. 

In 814 Leo, the Armenian, was loud in his denunciation, 
and heaped the most disgraceful indignities upon Catholic 
subjects that could be devised. Coming from the ranks of the 
soldier, this emperor was rough and almost uncivilized, des- 



Origin of the Greek Church. 345 

potic in the exercise of power and full of the feelings of au- 
thority and the enforcement of laws of fanatic inspiration. 

Following this Armenian emperor, came Michael Palseolo- 
gus, and his son, Theophilus, Who were both brutal and in- 
human. 

It was not until 842 that toleration was again declared, 
when the Empress Theodora was placed in control of the gov- 
ernment. A synod was called in Constantinople in commem- 
oration of the restoration of the images, a special feast was in- 
stituted, and great joy again prevailed; and yet, notwithstand- 
ing the persecution of one part of the empire by the other, 
there had been no general breach between the Eastern and 
Western Churches, but this almost unbearable ^condition could 
not exist much longer, as the Church of Rome had gone be- 
yond the extreme limit of toleration. To break with the East- 
ern Church was a great cross, and the Pope hesitated long be- 
fore executing the decree that would excommunicate this 
rich and powerful division of the Catholic Church. But still 
the storm of conflict rolled louder and louder, with no prom- 
ises of a better and more perfect understanding. 

In 857, Barolas, uncle of the emperor, and who wielded al- 
most absolute power, caused to be banished from his see the 
aged and rightful patriarch of Constantinople, Ignatius, and 
in his place substituted the learned, but wicked Photius. This 
new authority commanded the bishops to conform to his de- 
cree, and those failing to comply were deposed, imprisoned, or 
exiled. Photius tried by every means possible to force Igna- 
tius to abdicate. He was ill-treated, persecuted, and cast into 
prison. When, however, the great Pope Nicholas I learned 

(23) 



346 Christian Persecutions. 

the true facts concerning his imprisonment, and the efforts 
made to have him deposed, he summoned, at Rome, in 864, a 
synod for the discussion of and action upon these conditions. 
This council deposed Photius and all the bishops he had con- 
secrated. This usurper immediately threw off his garb of 
concealment, and in summoning the bishops of his own party, 
declared the Roman Church was advocating heresy, and in his 
inconsiderate rage proclaimed the Holy Father anathematized. 
Thus matters went on until the year 869, when the Eighth 
(Ecumenical Council met at Constantinople and excommuni- 
cated Photius and re-established Ignatius. 

A new feature of dissension soon originated over the prov- 
ince of Bulgaria and threatened a new conflict. Ignatius had 
declared the Bulgarian Church under his dominion, while the 
emperor of Constantinople demanded that he should resign 
his pretensions. Pope John VIII sought to induce Ignatius 
to resign his jurisdiction and prevent the coming conflict. 
Before any definite action had been taken Ignatius died, but in 
the meantime the hypocritical Photius had sought by all 
means possible to gain the favor of the court and the clergy. 
He obtained control of authority, called a new synod, and, by 
a misrepresentation, succeeded in instituting changes in the 
religion, and condemnation of the Eighth (Ecumenical Coun- 
cil. Pope John VIII, having ascertained these high-handed 
falsifications and condemnations, immediately excommuni- 
cated Photius, and all the legates were banished to a monas- 
tery. 

No great dissensions hereafter occurred between the Apos- 
tolic See and the Greek Church until 1043, when the Greek 



Origin of the Greek Church. 347 

Church, under the haughty and ignorant Miclhael Cerularius, 
reproached the Western division of the Church for the crime 
of using unleavened bread at the Lord's Supper. He also re- 
proached the Latins for fasting on Saturdays, for the drinking 
of blood, and the eating of things strangled, and the omission 
of the Alleluia (Praise ye Jehovah) during the Lenten feast. 
Efforts were made to prevent an open rupture, but Cerularius 
positively refused to receive the legates sent by the Pope, and 
broke off all communication with them. He even forbade 
them to say Mass. 

"On the 16th of July, 1054, the legates appeared at the 
Church of St. Sophia, at the beginning of divine service, and 
declared solemnly that all their endeavors to re-establish peace 
and union had been defeated by Cerularius. They then laid 
the bull of excommunication on the hig^h altar and left the 
church, shaking, as they did so, the dust from off Itfieir feet, 
and exclaiming in the deepest grief, 'God sees it; He will 
judge.' Thus was the unhappy schism between the East and 
West accomplished." 

"In following the 'history of the schismatic Greek Churdh 
up to the present time, it must be admitted in its praise that 
the Mahometan powers have never succeeded in accomplish- 
ing its complete destruction. Numbers of its members have 
withstood the temptation of avoiding great hardships by em- 
bracing Islamism and have remained true to the Christian 
faith. But like a branch torn from its parent stem, it is void of 
life-giving sap, and incapable of bearing further fruit. In it 
we cannot see even a trace of that ardent zeal for the spread of 
God's kingdom, of that eVer fresh faith and life of willing de- 



348 Christian Persecutions. 

votion, which in the Roman Catholic Church is ever giving 
proof of the abiding operation of the Holy Ghost. Where, in 
the Eastern Church, do we find those zealous missioners, those 
men mighty in word and deed, of whom so many have arisen 
in the West, such, for instance, as St. Bernard, St. Dominic, 
St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius Loyola, and St. Francis 
Xavier? Where are her legions of martyrs? Where do we 
find in her a Thomas Aquinas, a Charles Barromeo, a Vincent 
de Paul? Theologians, sainted bishops and heroes of charity 
such as these the schismatic Church has none to show. A 
cold, death-like stupor everywhere prevails in her. Since her 
divorce from Rome, the despotic will of the Byzantine emper- 
ors has paralyzed her energies, and from a free spouse of 
Christ, she has become the handmaiden, or rather the helpless 
slave of the state. Her servitude beneath the Turkish rule is 
yet more degrading. The condition of the patriarchate of 
Constantinople has been rightly described as the lowest and 
most miserable to which an old and honored see could have 
fallen. And far from possessing within itself any renovating 
power, it has but extended its own corruption to the whole 
hierarchy. Simony and bribery prevail everywhere to a 
dreadful degree, both among the higher and lower clergy, to- 
gether with all manner of practices for extorting gifts and im- 
posts. The man who can pay most for the office is chosen 
by the Sultan to be patriarch, and arbitrarily deposed by him 
should another come forward with a higher offer. A patri- 
arch, therefore, seldom dies in the enjoyment of his dignities. 
Having bought them with hard-won money, he proceeds to 
reimburse himself by the sale of bishoprics and archbishoprics, 



Origin of the Greek Church. 349 

and the purchasers of these retaliate in their own extortions on 
the lower clergy and the people. The ignorance of the priests 
is in general such that the greater number cannot write, and 
some cannot even read, and with such marks the climax of 
degradation. The supreme decision in ecclesiastical questions 
very often emanates from the Turkish Government, as was 
expressly certified by the patriarch Anthimos to the Holy 
Father, Pius IX. In this question there arose a dispute re- 
garding the admixture of water with the sacramental wine, 
and the matter was laid before the Turkish Reis-effendi, who 
pronounced that Vine was an unclean drink, and condemned 
by the Koran, and therefore pure water should be used.' " 

No better is the condition of the schismatic Greek Church 
of Russia. It had been founded before the sc'hism of Ceru- 
larius, and was included in the separation from Rome by rea- 
son of its dependence on the patriarchate of Constantinople. 
A decree in the year 1551 shows into what a state of decay it 
had then fallen. A council was held at Moscow by Macarius, 
an excellent patriarch, for the re-establishment of Church dis- 
cipline, which had fallen into lamentable confusion; and at 
this council it was unanimously decreed that "of all heresies 
condemned by the Church, none is so culpable as that of shav- 
ing the beard, so much so, that martyrdom itself would not be 
sufficient to cleanse from such a crime," and that "whosover 
shaves his beard from human respect is a transgressor of the 
law and an enemy of God, who created us after His image and 
likeness." 

Sufficient 'has been said to show the degeneracy of the 
Eastern Church since it broke its faith with Rome. On the 



350 Christian Persecutions. 

one side we see the triumph of Christianity and the advance- 
ment of civilization in all its surroundings, While on the other 
side we see decay, a lost magnificence, a corrupt administra- 
tion of church offices, and an intolerance borne of ignorance 
and superstition. From these evidences of poverty and pros- 
perity, who can say that the great and powerful Greek Church 
of centuries ago has not merited a just punishment in its over- 
bearing persecutions of the Churcn of Rome? Some of us 
may not believe in the Divine punishment of rebellion, but if 
not, then we must admit that in the persecution of right, the 
reaction of wrong hurls itself against its own bosom, stifles the 
principle of justice, and in the overthrow of honesty it goes 
down in degradation and ruin. 

It matters not whether we believe in a direct punishment 
by God, or whether, through the destiny of his law, these ob- 
jects are attained. It becomes a fixed attribute of nature that 
he who sins must suffer the penalty of disobedience. God, in 
His infinite wisdom, made man to follow the pathway of truth, 
righteousness, and discipline. If from the proudness of spirit 
he selects ihis own path, and denies the elements necessary 
for his own elevation, he brings upon 'himself his own punish- 
ment and his own defeat. As this is true of man, state or na- 
tion, so is it true of the Church of Christ. Disobey the laws of 
God, and it sinks into disunion, corruption and ignorance, but 
to obey Divine authority is to follow the elements of love and 
of truth, to build upon the true foundation of happiness, and 
to seek the immortality of eternal life. There can be but one 
true path to the object sought. If we follow the will-o'-the- 



Origin of the Greek Church. 351 

wisp of our imaginations we shall soon flounder in the mad 
chase of an unholy phantom. 

So was it with the Eastern emperors of the Roman empire. 
They saw their strength in the success which attended their 
conflicts of conquest, in the expansion of wealth, in the brill- 
iancy of society, and above all, in the wonderful advancement 
of Christianity. The Church of the East became proud, 
haughty and arrogant. It sought to dictate, to demand, and 
to persecute. It established its own worship and its own prin- 
ciples of faith. Of its own volition, it severed its relations 
with the Church of Rome; and this disobedience, we see, 
marked the gradual downfall of the Eastern Church, and the 
cause of Christianity. And so it will remain until it is awak- 
ened from its sleep of ignorance and has purged itself of its 
vices and its follies ; then will it again rise in the splendor of its 
past, spreading the luster of true repentance, true Christianity, 
and true immortality. 

The Church of Russia dates from 992, when Prince Vladi- 
mir and his people accepted Christianity. In form it is largely 
Catholic. It retained many of the Catholic forms of worship, 
but rejected the Pope. Its government is by patriarchs, which 
are subdivided into divisions similar to the subdivisions of the 
Apostolic See of Rome. It has no exact form of worship, but 
differs according to the Liturgy where used. The first Article 
of Faith reads as follows: 

Christianity is a Divine revelation communicated to man- 
kind through Christ. Its saving truths are to be learned from 
the Bible and tradition, the former having been written, and 
the latter maintained uncorrupted through the influence of the 



352 Chkistian Peksecutions. 

Holy Spirit. The interpretation of the Bible belongs to the 
Church, which is taught by the Holy Spirit, but every believer 
may read the Scriptures. 

The last Article reads: 

The Church of Christ is the fellowship of all those who> ac- 
cept and profess all the Articles of Faith transmitted by the 
Apostles and approved by the General Synod. Without this 
visible Church there is no salvation. It is under the abiding 
influence of the Holy Ghost, and therefore cannot err in mat- 
ters of faith. Specially appointed persons are necessary in the 
service of the Church, and they form a threefold order, dis- 
tinct jure divino from other Christians, of Bishops, Priests and 
Deacons. The four Patriarchs, of equal dignity, have the 
highest ranks among the Bishops, and the Bishops, united in 
a General Council, represent the Church and infallibly decide, 
under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, all matters of faith and 
ecclesiastical life. All ministers of Christ must be called and 
appointed to their office, and are consecrated by the Sacra- 
ment of Orders. Bishops must be unmarried, and priests and 
deacons must not contract a second marriage. To all priests 
in common belongs, besides the preaching of the Word, the 
administration of the six sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation, 
Penance, Eucharist, Matrimony, Unction of the sick. The 
Bishops, alone, can issue the Sacrament of Orders. 

Ecclesiastical ceremonies are part of the divine service; 
most of them have apostolic origin; and those connected with 
the sacrament must not be omitted by the priests under pain 
of mortal sin. 

The estimated number belonging to the Orthodox Greek 



Origin of the Greek Church. 353 

Church, as taken from the Encyclopedia Britannica, are 

known and classified as follows : 

Turkey 10,000,000 

Roumania 4,529,000 

Servia 1,345,000 

Montenegro 130,000 

Greece 1,310,000 

Austria 3,000,000 

Russia 58,000,000 

78,314,000 

To these may be added : 

Russian Dissenters 1,051,000 

Armenians 3,000,000 

Nestorians 360,000 

Syrian Jacobites 90,000 

Cops 121,000 

Abyssinians 1,200,000 

5,822,000 

United Greeks of Austria and Poland. . . 4,670,000 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE BIBLE. 

TT is a prevalent belief among Protestants that Catholics 
1 are opposed to the Bible, that they do not teach it, and 
that the priests do not allow their members to read it. In 
this the Protestants are greatly mistaken. Not only do Cath- 
olics teach it and read it, but it is sacred and holy to them. 
While many Protestants speak jestingly of the Bible, and 
even attempt to belittle its divine history, the Catholics are 
taught to revere its pages as those of divine inspiration 
speaking to the conscience of men. 

But some one asks, Why are there two Bibles — the Prot- 
estant and Catholic? And which contains the true exposition 
of the Word of God? If this questioner will refer to history, 
he can easily satisfy himself. Turn to the history of the 
Reformation, and you will find that until this particular time 
there was no such thing as a Protestant Bible, not even a 
Protestant manuscript of the Scriptures. There was no 
legend, and there were no records of any kind whatever that 
were Protestant. In fact, the Protestant Bible and all Protest 
Records in the Protestant Church begin with the Reformation, 
which became an organized force about 1520. Previous to 
that time Christianity was under one head, one Church, and 
that was the Catholic Church. Therefore the Bible, and all 
the Holy Inspirations emanating from God, could not have 
been otherwise than Catholic. Had Protestantism existed 

354 



The Bible. 355 

from the days of Christ, or the early days of Christianity, they 
mig-ht lay some claim to a different line of Scripture, but 
when we know it to be a positive fact that all Christianity, 
and all divine teachings, and all recorded history of God, of 
Christ, and his Holy Apostles, were under the sole care and 
protection of the Catholic Church for the first fifteen hundred 
years of its existence, then it becomes a self-evident truth 
that when Protestantism was instituted their Bible could be 
none other than a Catholic Bible, or a translation of it. As 
there was — nor could there be — no other source from whence 
a Protestant Bible could be obtained, it follows as a logical 
conclusion that its origin must be Catholic, and consequently 
could not be superior in its divine teachings. 

And now it is our province to even go further — not that 
we would prejudice any one against the Protestant Bible — ■ 
and assert the fact that, if there is a difference between these 
two books, we must turn our testimony in favor of the one 
that had been established, that had been in existence since the 
first century of Christianity, and which had borne the terrible 
persecution of Roman despotism. No unprejudiced mind can 
say that a copy is more perfect than the original, and when we 
attempt to translate from one language to another, and then 
condense as may seem best to the translator, we must ac- 
knowledge that such translation cannot be perfect or infallible. 

But such is the condition of the Protestant Bible of to-day, 
and while we were brought up under its teachings and listened 
to the exposition of its divine truth, and while to- us it is the 
Bible of our faith, yet when we search into the realm of his- 
toric facts we are convinced that our Bible is a translation 



356 Christian Persecutions. 

from the original, and that original was the Catholic Bible. 
But, after all, it should not matter to us how we obtained this 
Bible, only that we have the proof that from the Christian 
Era to this time it was preserved pure in its original instruc- 
tion. No other or better evidence in support of this assertion 
need be adduced than the evidence of the constant martyrdom 
of Christian Catholics who, with unswerving faith, have 
guarded it with their lives. 

Once a statement of this nature would have startled me, 
but why deny what is true? If it is true that there was no 
Protestant Bible until the Reformation, and that previous to 
that time all Christianity was Catholic, and that every form of 
recorded Scripture, whether written in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, 
or any tongue whatever, was the work of Catholics, then we 
cannot deny that for these fifteen 'hundred years before the 
Reformation there could be only this one source from which 
all bibles have their origin. It is, therefore, useless for any 
religious denomination to place its hand upon the Bible of 
that denomination and say that this book is a perfect divine 
interpretation of God's word, and that all other bibles, and 
especially the Catholic, are not perfect. Such assertions might 
be accepted by the congregation, but they could not be sub- 
stantiated by the facts of history. 

But again, you say Catholics are opposed to the Bible, 
that they are not allowed to read it or listen to its reading by 
others, nor to allow its teachings in the public schools. Now, 
some of these statements may be true, but the first assertion 
is an absolute falsehood. It has no possible foundation, and 
there is no possible excuse for making it. If there is any 



The Bible. 357 

one thing in the Catholic faith that is venerated more than 
anything else, it is the Bible. This book is treasured closest to 
a Catholic's heart. He believes it to be the Word of God, 
and past history is full of examples of martyrdom where, 
rather than surrender the Bible to its enemies, Catholics 
would suffer the horrors of untold torments, cruelties, per- 
secutions and death. As proof of their fidelity, we find that 
even to this day Catholics venerate those noble martyrs who 
suffered death for refusing to surrender their sacred treasures 
to their enemies. Among the devout Christians who gave 
their lives in defense of God's Holy Word, we find St. Felix 
and St. Euplius. The Church commemorates the 24th of 
October for St. Felix and the 12th of August for St. Euplius. 

The martyrdom of St. Felix, we find, came about in this 
way: The Roman emperor went to him and demanded his 
copy of the sacred Scriptures; St. Felix positively refused to 
comply, and when he was informed that they must be burned, 
he replied: "It were better that you burn me than that you 
burn the Divine Scriptures, for God must be obeyed rather 
than man.'' St. Felix was given three days in which to relent, 
but still remaining firm he was loaded with chains and thrown 
into prison. Again and again was he taken from prison and 
tortured, but would ever respond: "I have the Holy Scrip- 
tures in my possession, but I will not give them up." He was 
finally condemned to die by the sword, and as he bowed his 
head for the fatal blow he thanked God that he had preserved 
the Gospel. 

St. Euplius was persecuted with even greater ferocity to 
compel him to surrender his Bible. He was cruelly tortured, 



358 Christian Persecutions. 

but throughout his terrible agonies he thanked the Lord for 
strength to resist the demands of his persecutors, and when 
he finally failed through the extremity of pain, his lips still 
moved in an attempt to offer the same praise. Failing to force 
him to surrender the precious volume by these cruelties, St. 
Euplius was condemned to death and executed. 

We could enumerate a whole line of martyrs from the 
days of Nero to the close of the Religious Wars in 1648. 
During these sixteen hundred years the whole Catholic faith 
was based upon the Holy Scriptures, and its persecution was 
owing to its fidelity to Christianity, its resistance to oppres- 
sion, and its constancy to the Word of God. As Christianity 
was the result of divine instruction, so, too, was the Bible the 
written Word of God, which, through all these centuries of 
torture and persecution, was maintained in all its purity and 
transmitted from one period to another. 

The wonderful work of the monks who, by the bigot, are 
considered a useless appendage to the cause of Christianity, 
here becomes apparent. While we may be digressing some- 
what from the subject, yet it is but simple justice to mention 
the real connection that exists between the Church and those 
zealous Christians. The monk was a priest who consecrated 
himself wholly to the work of the Church. His life was a 
constant study, and until the discovery of the art of printing 
in the fifteenth century, all the literature, all forms of educa- 
tion, every rule of worship, and every copy of the Bible had 
to be transcribed, and in this work the faithful monks were 
constantly employed. In these days of rapid printing we fail 
to realize the difference which exists between then and now. 



The Bible. 359 

We do not realize what the slow, tedious process of the pen 
means in the transcription of one Bible alone. With us it is 
not a question of time, but numbers. Every individual can 
have a Bible, while in the past it was the work of years to 
copy a full volume of the Scriptures, and yet these monks 
spent their lives in preparing copies of the Bible for the 
benefit of mankind; therefore it would be more to our honor 
if we praised those faithful workers for their life's sacrifice, 
rather than cast calumnies upon the institution that gave 
them birth. Who of us, in all the congregations of the Prot- 
estant churches, would to-day sever his connection with the 
world and devote his life to the transcription of the Scrip- 
tures that others might learn from these sacred teachings? 
If God should say to us, as He did to Abraham before the 
destruction of Sodom, if you can find fifty righteous people 
I will not destroy it. If you can find forty-five righteous 
people! Aye, if it be forty, or thirty, or even five, who will 
give up the pleasures of the world and work, as these monks 
did, for the spreading of the blessed light of truth, I will yet 
have compassion. Where would you find even these five who 
would sacrifice their lives? But those men loved to do this 
work for Christianity, this labor which to us would be tire- 
some and unremunerative. They were happy in the thought 
of doing something for the salvation of man, and in the con- 
version of nations to Christianity. Then let us honor them 
for their piety, their tireless labors, their Christian zeal, anid 
not cast on them the slurs of intoleration and unjust criticism. 
Thus we find that Catholic lives are full to overflowing 
with love and affection for the Word of God, the Holy Scrip- 



360 Christian Persecutions. 

tures, the Bible, and through all these years of persecution 
they have defended it with their utmost vigor, with their 
power of understanding, and with their lives, and' now to say 
that they are opposed to the Bible is an insult to the millions 
of Christians who have died for it. Nothing can be said that 
is more unjust, more inconsistent, or more dishonest in senti- 
ment, than that Catholics are opposed to the Bible. It is 
true that they may be opposed to the Protestant Bible, and 
for reasons previously explained, but on the other side, are 
you not opposed to the Catholic Bible without any reason? 
I ask you in all candor, are they not right and you wrong? 
Is not the Catholic Bible the original source of all divine 
Scriptures? And is not the Protestant Bible copied from it? 
My friends, there can be but one answer, and that is, no 
matter what you have between the covers of your Bible, it 
must either be a copy, or the translator has rendered it into 
another language according to his understanding of the orig- 
inal. While we know that King James I, in 1607, ordered a 
new translation of the Bible, we must admit that it was done 
more because of his hate of everything Catholic, than from a 
desire to have a correct version of it. King James was a 
strong Protestant, and in the establishment of the Church of 
England, the Catholic form of worship was overthrown and 
consequently the Catholic Bible also had to be cast aside. 
Previous to this Henry VIII had ordered his servile follower, 
Bishop Cranmer, to prepare a Bible for the new Church. 
This version was known as Cranmer's Bible, and was the first 
Bible printed by authority in England, and publicly used in 
the Churches. 



The Bible. 361 

The real history of this Bible, however, is to the effect 
that it was the translation of William Tyndall, was revised by 
Miles Coverdale, and then given to Cranmer for examination 
and approval, who added a preface to it, whence it was called 
"Cranmer's Bible." It was dedicated to Henry VIII, and by 
his authority became the Scriptures of the English Church. 
But under King James I a new version was ordered, and fifty- 
four learned men employed to prosecute the work of revising 
it. From death, or other causes, however, seven failed to 
enter upon their task, but the remaining forty-seven were 
occupied for nearly four years in the work. They were 
divided into six divisions, and different portions of the Bible 
were assigned to each division. After this translation, 01 
revision, the other Bibles fell into disuse, and this revision 
became the recognized Bible of the Protestant Churches, and 
is to-day the Bible of Protestant Christianity. 

Now, according to the history of Bibles, the history of the 
Reformation, and the history of religion, would it not be quite 
inconsistent for Catholics to recognize the Protestant Bible 
as the most complete, perfect, and directly authorized exposi- 
tion of the Word of God? As the Protestant Bible came into 
existence during the period of Reformation, during the Church 
revolt of Germany, Switzerland, Holland, England, and other 
countries, it dates its origin from these days of persecution and 
intoleration. Historians inform us that Avhile Martin Luther 
was under a grave sentence, and in hiding from an execution 
of law, he translated the Bible into the German language. 
Granting that he was the father of the German Bible, the 
question arises, from what source did he obtain his trans- 

(24) 



362 Cheistian Persecutions. 

lation? Martin Luther had been a devout Catholic; he was 
educated for the priesthood, entered a monastery, became a 
renowned monk, was called to Rome, became a teacher oi 
theology at the University of Wittenberg, wrote his ninety- 
five theses in opposition to the Church of Rome, and finally, 
in open revolt, publicly burned the Papal Bull that was issued 
against him, and thus forever severed his; allegiance to* the 
Catholic Church. Now, in the face of this record of Martin 
Luther, where could he have obtained the information which 
enabled him to make this translation, except from his owfx 
Catholic Latin Bible? The history of his life while a Catholic 
tells us of his Latin scholarship, his devotion to his Bible, 
and his ability to teach the Word of God. Not for a moment 
would I seek to insinuate that Martin Luther did not use 
his best powers and his best judgment in the translation, for 
he loved his Bible and its divine teachings; but I would say, 
and that without fear of the possibility of contradiction, that 
the Bible he treasured so highly, the one he loved so well, was 
none other than the Catholic Bible, which embodied and al- 
ways had embodied, the only sacred writings that were pre- 
served through these fifteen centuries of Christian conflict. 

Now, as we turn to the Church revolt of England, we find 
that Henry VIII, the malicious persecuter of the Pope of 
Rome, paved the way for the Protestant King James to revise 
and retranslate our present Bible. While it contains the Word 
of God, yet, judging the work from the standpoint of the 
selfishness of human nature, this translation from Catholic 
authority, we doubt not, is more in accordance with the spirit 
of the Reformation than it is the exact interpretation of Cath- 
olic authority. 



The Bible. 363 

To sanction this version of the translation and its revision, 
and to sustain the position held by the Catholics that King 
James' Bible is not a perfect translation, we must remember 
that during the days of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Elizabeth, 
and James I, nothing would be tolerated that was strictly 
Catholic. The acts of these rulers were ever those of the 
crudest persecution. Their hatred toward the Pope of Rome 
was a bitter hatred, and their opposition was always intoler- 
ant and unchristian. 

And as we view these conditions, these inharmonious rela- 
tions between Protestantism and Catholicism, must it not 
be accounted almost a miracle if these translations of King 
James should contain such purity of thought and such perfect 
conception of the divine truths of God, as the Catholic Bible? 

And in closing this Bible controversy, let us assume that 
at the time of translation the following conditions existed: that 
the fifty-four learned men selected were all anxious to come as 
near to the right as was possible under the circumstances ; that, 
while they were prejudiced against the Church of Rome, they 
yet felt that they must accept the Bible of that Church as the 
only source of information to make their own translations; 
that they realized, while preparing a Protestant Bible, that 
they were laboring in the presence of God and were handling 
God's divine instructions, and for fear of blaspheming His^ 
Holy Name, they followed the dictates of their conscience, and 
instead of producing a distorted version of divine truth they 
were impressed with the great importance of their work and 
deeply felt their sacred obligations, and made an unprejudiced 
translation of the Holy Scriptures, did they not, in truth, but 
copy the truths of others? 



364 Christian Persecutions. 

While, as Protestants, we bless the work of the servants 
of King James, we yet must remember that our Protestant 
B,ible cannot be superior to that of our neighbors, neither have 
we any right to censure them for tenaciously holding to their 
own, when all evidence shows that theirs is the original, and 
has been jealously guarded and defended against all assaults 
for nearly nineteen hundred years. 

As this applies to the objections of the Catholics to the 
Bible in general use, so, too, does it explain their objections 
to its use in the public schools. And now, if we should 
reverse the question, we would find that if the Catholic Bible 
were used in our schools many Protestants would raise the 
same objection!; therefore, if we condemn their objections we 
must, in return, condemn our own, for if we would not use 
their Bible we cannot expect them to use ours, though it is 
positively proven that they have the original and we a copy. 

It is not my purpose, however, to generate prejudice 
against the Protestant Bible, but rather to drive out the 
absurd notion that we have a monopoly of Sacred Scriptures, 
when for over fifteen hundred years it was Catholic property, 
and became Protestant only when Martin Luther, John Cal- 
vin, Ulric Zwingli, and Henry VIII, rebelled against the 
Church of Rome. It is this, and only this, I would raise my 
voice against. When you say that Catholics are opposed to 
the Bible please explain when, how, and where. They are 
entitled to a full exposition of 'how Bibles emanated, and who 
preserved these divine writings through all the trials and 
persecutions of Christianity. If they fought for them during 
those centuries of idolatrous persecutions, and lay down their 



The Bible. 365 

lives in holy martyrdom to preserve them, we should at least 
honor their faithful dead, honor the self-sacrificing monk who 
devoted his life to the spreading of the Gospel of Christ. 

Now, as we stand face to face with these historic realities, 
let us become more consistent in our claims and denuncia- 
tions, more tolerant for the rights of others, and more Chris- 
tian in our own existence. 

The question often arises among Protestants, Why are 
Catholics not urged to read the Bible more, to diligently 
search the Scriptures, and not depend upon their priests, or 
teachers, for the interpretation of these Divine Truths? Often 
Protestant ministers are loud in their denunciation of this 
priestly power in teaching their form of worship and the prin- 
ciples of faith. Once I listened to an eloquent divine, who 
declared that the main objection he had to the Catholic reli- 
gion, was that the priests did not allow their congregation to 
independently study the Bible, that the priest's interpretation 
must be regarded as the true exposition of faith, and no good 
Catholic would question it. This divine objected to these 
methods as an arbitrary encroachment upon individual rights. 
He declared that every individual should read the Bible for 
himself, to diligently search for truth, to be independent, to 
be a free moral agent, to be his own judge, and not to be 
governed by the decisions of others. He very eloquently 
described that this was not religion, it was only making a 
machine of the poor Catholic, who wasf made to follow a line 
of worship without comprehending either the light of faith 
or the blessedness of truth. The priest was the religion, and 
to obey and read his instructions was to obey God and his 
commandments. 



366 Christian Persecutions. 

Without doubt every Protestant in that church believed 
those assertions, and in his mind pitied the poor Catholic for 
his religious slavery. As explained it was quite convincing, 
but when analyzed according to the facts as they really exist, 
we need not spend our time in pitying. If we study this 
so-called Catholic slavery, we will find conditions far more 
favorable to a true exposition of religion than these represen- 
tations indicate. In fact, this minister, in his interpretation of 
Catholic teaching, denied to the priest the very same power 
he exercised himself. With him it was wrong for the Catholic 
Church to say to its members that this is the instruction of 
Christ, when he, in the interpretation of his own text, declared 
that this is the correct version of the Holy Scriptures. He 
did not seem to understand that he was occupying the very 
place he condemned. He instructed his congregation that to 
understand divine truth we must read it as explained by him, 
and not as explained by others. His doctrine was infallible, 
and while he urged his members to read the Bible, to study 
it morning, noon, and eventide, yet they must form no other 
conclusion, or interpretation, than his own exposition. It is 
but another case of, I am right and you are wrong. According 
to his instruction, we are supposed to read and study the 
Bible free and independent of any human agency, but in this 
study we must not fall into the errors of other denominations. 
We must not read it through a Methodist glass, or a Con- 
gregationalism or Universalist, but as he sees it. This is 
where every Protestant teacher stands. He would have you 
believe that it is your duty to study the Bible, to depend upon 
yourself, and from its teachings become a Christian of some 



The Bible. 367 

particular denomination. Now, this is an impossibility. No 
man can study the Bible and discover, of his own knowl- 
edge, any particular creed. If he is ever to become a 
Baptist, it must be through a Baptist education. If he is to 
become a Catholic, it must be through Catholic teaching. 
The Word of God in no place specifies a particular creed. It 
teaches repentance, love, charity, and salvation. It declares 
that Christ was crucified, not for his own benefit, but for the 
redemption of man from sin. It authorized the Apostles, the 
disciples, and the priests of God, to go- forth and teach the 
Word of God. The injunction is ever to teach, teach, teach. 
Religion involves the education of the soul, and in every form 
of education there must be a teacher. The child can never 
learn to read without instruction. Without this religious 
instruction you will grow to manhood ini the darkness of 
Deism, Atheism, and idolatry. Place the Bible in the hands 
of a heathen and expect him to teach himself how to follow 
in the steps of the true Christian, and you will expect impossi- 
bilities. No heathen, no unchristian being, was ever converted 
to a faith in Christ without instruction. That instruction may 
be obtained through explanation given in religious books, 
pamphlets, or other lessons, but almost invariably such con- 
version must be by the word of mouth. While the Bible con- 
tains the inspired writings of divine instruction, yet the true 
interpretation must come from the Church. All churches 
provide priests, or ministers, to properly expound their doc- 
trine and faith. In no other way can this be accomplished. 
Without these instructors the Bible becomes a barren medium 
of Christian Grace. 



368 Christian Persecutions. 

Select ten men without any particular religious convic- 
tions, and give to each a Bible and tell him to search diligently, 
to gain wisdom through his own efforts, and no two will agree 
in the exact comprehension of these truths. Now, do not 
mistake my meaning. I do not wish to imply that the Bible 
is contradictory, but that if this study is left to your own wis- 
dom, there will arise a principle of antagonism, the evil ten- 
dency of all natures to doubt, deny, seek to evade, and to 
trample upon your own conscience. 

The -author is personally acquainted with an individual 
who for years was an ardent and devout Christian, but by 
some means commenced to study the Bible and seek con- 
troversy. He soon began to rely upon his own wisdom, and 
to-day this man believes in no Infinity, no Bible, no soul, and 
no hereafter. His mind is filled with that self-sufficiency which 
antagonizes and destroys every Christian thought of God, of 
Christ, or His Holy Word, and while, as the world sees him, 
he is an honest, upright citizen, yet spiritually he would render 
nugatory the beautiful thought of immortality, and, like the 
plant, he would grow, flourish, blossom, and die, without a 
divine origin, a divine purpose, or a divine control. 

It is to prevent these occurrences that Catholics are taught 
to study and heed the interpretation of the Church, to follow 
its wisdom, and to obey its discipline. Protestants say, read 
your Bible diligently, study for yourself, obey its teachings, 
while Catholics say, study the teachings of those who have 
devoted their lives to its service, obey the Church, listen to 
the explanation of your teachers, do these things and you 
cannot go astray. The Protestant professes to believe that he 



The Bible. 369 

derives his understanding from the Bible, that he is taught 
by it, that it points out his creed, that it is his spiritual in- 
structor, his adviser, and his source of inspiration. This I 
must positively deny. The fact is, he is taught by his Church, 
his ministers, by religious books, his parents, or some other 
means of instruction. He must be instructed in some way, 
otherwise, like the child, he can never comprehend the sublime 
truths of God. The Catholic does not profess to possess these 
gifts of self-inspiration, the power of individual wisdom, or the 
power of the Bible to be self-explanatory regarding the 
wisdom of God. While he loves the Bible and venerates it as 
the sacred truth of God, yet he does not profess to believe that 
it was meant to be a teacher, or that it ever has been a teacher. 
He believes that God simply expressed the fact of existence 
without the demonstration of why he so organized this exist- 
ence. He believes that the world was evangelized by preachers 
and not by Scripture-reading, or by each individual reading 
the Bible by himself; that no one really learns his religion from 
the Bible; that, as a matter of fact, it comes to him through 
some form of education; that he goes to the Bible to prove 
this education, to prove his belief, and to sustain the truth 
that has been revealed unto him. It is this principle of correct 
understanding, therefore, that is imposed more firmly on Cath- 
olics than on Protestants. While the one is granted free lati- 
tude in the acquirement of self-wisdom, the other is based 
upon the necessity of a direct course of education. To be a 
Catholic, is to believe in the Bible, the Church, and those who 
have consecrated their lives to the study of divine truths. 
This, in reality, is no more than is required of any member of 



370 Christian Persecutions. 

a Protestant Church. They must believe in the Bible, the 
creed of the Church, and the education of its ministers. Then 
why open the door of infidelity by inviting each individual to 
read for himself, to interpret for himself, and to educate him- 
self? Therefore I will say in defense of the charge made by 
Protestants that Catholics do not read the Bible, that it is, 
"not that I love Caesar less, but that I love Rome more." Not 
that I read the Bible less, but that I listen to its teachings 
more. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

ROBERT G. INGERSOLL. 

T N many of Mr. Ingersoll's writings he appears, or tries to 
1 appear, funny, sarcastic, scoffing, or jesting, on what he 
calls the impossibilities of the Bible. If God never created a 
miracle, if his servants never performed one, and there never 
was an incident of Divine action, or of Divine presence; if God 
never appeared to his children in any manifestations whatever, 
either by his power of presence, or by the influence of others, 
or by inspired writing, then Mr. Ingersoll might question this 
Infinite Being. But the world is full of His presence, full of the 
evidence of His power, full of Divine action, and even to-day 
is constantly spreading the effects of His wisdom, His greatness 
and His love to all created things. There is no place but God 
scatters the miracles of His creations. It is constant in action, 
beyond conception in power, and beyond the power of com- 
prehension. We come into this life veiled in the mysterious 
workings of nature. What is this nature? It is one of the 
miracles of God. Mr. Ingersoll says it is the unchangeable 
and indestructible mission of nature. It is the law of produc- 
tion and the law of destruction. We come into life, we grow, 
we mature, we die, and we crumble into dust, and that is all 
that remains of the once beautiful body of man. It comes 
through the growth of influences, fill's its mission in life, and 
goes to the dust from whence it came. 

This is the same old pagan philosophy which can only see 

371 



372 Christian Persecutions. 

4 

the actions of the elements of life, or death. It does not see 
that in all these varied demerits of change there must 
be some governing power behind to control, direct and hold 
in unchangeable and indestructible form. Life cannot exist 
without a cause, and there can be no cause without the inspi- 
ration of some power to produce it. Nothing can be created 
within itself. The plant grows because of the agency of light, 
heat, moisture and earth. Stop here and you may say that is 
all there is of the plant, but what can you say of the light, the 
heat, the moisture, the earth? How were they created? How 
do they exist? Analyze these as you have the plant, and you 
are immediately lost in the great realm of mystery. You can 
go no further, you have entered the boundary of unexplained 
wisdom. The knowledge of man attempts to show you the 
chemical process of action, but not its origin. It is the line 
between finite and infinite wisdom. We see these effects of 
what we call nature, but cannot solve their origin. The farther 
you attempt to penetrate into this vast unknown and undis- 
covered wisdom, the more confused you become in its solu- 
tion. Then let us stop in our investigations of impossibilities 
and bid adieu to the theory of the first principle of existence 
without a power to control and direct. 

In mathematics we are informed that an axiom is a self- 
evident proposition or truth. It is a truth that needs no dem- 
onstration, no power of argument, and will admit of no oppo- 
sition. It is a truth you see and in the seeing there is no ex- 
planation. You look from your window and see some object 
of existence. You may ask, What is that object? But there 
can be no question of it. You may not understand why it is 



Robert GK Ingersoll. 373 

there, or its value to creation, but all the philosophy in the 
world cannot prove that it is not there. You see it. It is a 
self-evident truth, an axiom of faith, a real existence, and you 
know it by the power of sight and thought. 

It is thus we stand in the knowledge of the existence of 
God. He is the axiom of the universe and the undeniable 
strength of existence. We may not be able to explain this 
strength, but that it exists is beyond question. We see the 
countless millions of worlds moving in a perfect existence, and 
in that sight we see something of the wonderful power that 
holds all things in perfect union, order, and discipline. We 
see this and no Ingersoll, or Paine, can prove that we do not 
see it. It is self-evident and beyond question. It must ex- 
ist, or there would be Chance, Chaos and Confusion. 

Xo man ever contended that this world came into existence 
by chance. They may claim that it was evolved through 
countless cycles of time, that it was created from the vastness 
of nothing, but not once do they deny the existence of some- 
thing that directs, controls, and holds in harmony every line 
of action, every element of existence and every principle of 
creation. They call it Nature and Nature's laws. They speak 
of it as a power within itself, a power that extends to every 
atom, that governs the laws of universe, and lives in all the 
realms of immensity. 

They call it Nature and Nature's laws. We call it the 
manifestation of God's laws. In principle, God is Nature and 
Nature is Gad. They see and feel His power of existence, but 
in the selfishness of heart substitute a name. That God lives 
in the great realms of immensity, and that He created, or 



374 Christian Persecutions. 

evolved, the grandeur of universe from the vastness of noth- 
ing, is just as incomprehensible to us as is the self-evident 
truth that He watches over us, preserves the exalot labor of 
infinite laws, and wheels with exact precision every principle 
of nature in the path of its creation. 

But why argue when there is no argument? Mr. Ingersoll 
and all the philosophers of reason admit the necessity of their 
Nature to command, to hold, to direct, and to be the invisible 
influence of direction, and yet they would deny an existence. 
Oh, wonderful thought of conception ! You admit some form 
of existence, and yet you deny that it can exist. You admit 
creation, and yet you deny that it was created. You admit 
Nature, yet you deny God. With you it is but a series of ad- 
missions, and in contrast a line of rejections. Either admit 
that what you call Nature is God, or deny creation, deny ex- 
istence of any power or any principle of government. When 
you admit that there is something behind this immensity of 
being, you destroy the foundation of your own argument. 
You testify in opposition to your declarations. You condemn 
yourself, and in the summing up of your evidence you prove 
the existence of God. 

As many have never read the writings of Mr. Ingersoll, 
we will quote from him to show to our readers his source of 
reasoning. It seems strange that a man of his character 
should be so ungracious, so obstinately hostile to a recognition 
of God, the Bible, or the Church. His disposition among his 
fellow men is not uncivil, nor is he disbelieving. In fact, he is 
the opposite. He is one of the most companionable, gener- 
ous, and appreciative men living. He would not wrong you 



Eobert Gr. Ingersoll. 375 

in character or wealth. He is liberal in charity, kind and af- 
fectionate in nature, and a true friend in affliction. He is 
loyal to government, true to discipline, and honorable in his 
dealings with men. But in his expressions of faith, of religion, 
of creed, he is filled with denial, with sophistry, and with 
speeches of irony. While he is called a refined gentleman, yet 
he is willing to wound the sensitive natures of Christians, to 
ridicule the idea of a Divinity, and to deny the existence of 
immortality. 

Possibly Mr. Ingersoll may have a motive for his denials. 
He is an eloquent speaker, in fact a recognized orator. He 
commands large audiences and the box receipts are often more 
in one evening than the profits of a life-time of labor. To 
create curiosity, or rather notoriety, he may have a selfish mo- 
tive in his assaults upon creation and the existence of a Being 
who controls all things. Possibly, if we remove the profit ac- 
cruing from his Atheistic reasonings, we may solve his origin 
of opposition. His force of nature may be the commercial 
dollar, and in this commerce he trades his exposition of beliefs 
for it; therefore, if Mr. Ingersoll writes and talks for money he 
may not, after all, even believe in his own sophistry. 

In the discussion of the creation of heaven and earth, Mr. 
Ingersoll has this to say: 

"The statement that in the beginning God created the 
heaven and earth, I cannot believe. It is contrary to my 
reason, and I cannot believe it. It appears reasonable to me 
that force has existed from eternity. Force cannot, as it ap- 
pears to me, exist apart from matter. Force, in its nature, 
is forever active, and without matter it could not act; and so 
I think that matter must have existed forever." 



376 Christian Persecutions. 

Carefully read Mr. Ingersoll again, and what do you dis- 
cover? He says he cannot accept the statement of creation. 
"It is contrary to my reason, and I cannot believe it." From 
■this assertion we are to believe thalt a subject, no matter 
how difficult to comprehend, how intricate in its vasitness, 
cannot exist in his imagination, unless he can fathom its ori- 
gin and believe in its existence, and yet Mr. Ingersoll can see 
that there is a mighty machinery of nature which has been 
created by some power and at some time, but because he can- 
not understand how it was created he must deny its creation. 
Now, my dear readers, is this not a most distressing and in- 
consistent position to occupy? You see the earth, the sun, the 
moon, the stars. You see the perfect expansion of nature. You 
see and feel the law of control that governs all in one perfect 
union, and in seeing and feeling are you to say that all this ex- 
panse was not created? That there was no power to call it 
into existence? Surely, you cannot say that this vastness of 
universe had no origin, no power ito direct, sustain, and 
control? You know there cannot be an existence without 
some cause to produce it. If there is force there must be a 
cause and where there is matter there must be an origin of it. 

As we follow Mr. Ingersoll we find that, "It appears rea- 
sonable to me that force and matter have existed forever." In 
this reasoning he "thinks" that there could be no creation, but 
an eternal existence, no origin, and no cause. But if there is 
no cause there can be no effect, and as every action of nature is 
the result of some cause, we must ask Mr. Ingersoll, what is 
it's origin? How did a cause come into existence? If the 
cause is not the divine influence of God, prove its source of 



Kobert G. Ingersoll. 377 

inspiration? Because you have no idea of how it originated, 
do not say it has been in existence forever, and thus evade the 
question. 

Again, in his reasoning he "thinks" that force and matter 
have always existed and consequently there could be no crea- 
tion. From this conclusion he has not even the germ of ex- 
istence, but places the forces of nature and all matter as in- 
finite, as beyond the power of origin, "and so I think must 
have existed forever." 

Thus, rather than admit a creation and a power to create, 
he says it must have existed in its own bosom and beyond ori- 
gin. You see a magnificent tree, and because you cannot de- 
termine its construction you say it has always existed and can 
have not even a germ of commencement. But your knowl- 
edge of observation alone contradicts this assertion. Your 
reason teaches you that it was created through the powers that 
control its being. You see its origin and therefore do not 
deny its creation. 

If this is true of the tree, the rock, the earth, why is it not 
true in all matter and in all force? In the one you can trace 
your knowledge, while in the other your wisdom cannot com- 
prehend, therefore it is denied. Years ago philosophers de- 
clared that the earth was not round. They could see only 
the immediate plane and this was their proof of its construc- 
tion. Without doubt, those philosophers were just as posi- 
tive of what they supposed they saw and understood as is Mr. 
Ingersoll in his ideas of Deity. It was contrary to their reason 
to see how the earth could be anything but flat, and no other 
theory could be accepted. All published philosophy says 

(25) 



378 Christian Persecutions. 

that there can be no mechanical perpetual motion, and yet 
people are constantly seeking to produce it. They do not be- 
lieye that philosophy is infallible, and therefore cast it aside as 
only the opinion of men. Edison says that science has led 
him astray more than it has built him up. It is, therefore, not 
on philosophy or science that we must wholly depend for a 
positive knowledge, for after all science is only what man has 
produced by thought and investigation, and being a finite dem- 
onstration may err. 

The one great argument of Mr. Ingersoll is something like 
this: Prove that there is a God. Prove that there is a Being 
of infinite knowledge and wisdom, who created the universe, 
who instituted light and force, and who is omnipresent in all 
space from the beginning to the end, and from eternity to 
eternity. 

In reply, Christianity says she has proved it ten thousand 
times, and now, Mr. Ingersoll, have you done your duty as a 
lawyer? You have attacked the question of Divinity. You 
are the prosecuting attorney against the Bible, against the 
Church, and against the existence of a Supreme Being. Can 
you prove the defendant guilty? Can you prove that there 
is no God? No Being who exists as a ruling force of nature, 
as a designer of all that is, that has been, or will be? If you 
deny the Christians' God, prove that He does not exist. Prove 
how this world came into existence. Prove from what sources 
emanate the powers of nature. Prove the origin of matter, 
the existence of life, the power to govern, and the order, har- 
mony, and control of all action. Do not say you do not con- 
ceive how there can be a God, and then from this form of con- 



Kobert G. Ingersoll. 379 

ception deny that He is infinite. Because you do not conceive 
of His being, is it proof that He does not exist? 

Suppose you were to say: I do not believe there is any 
power in electricity because I do not understand its origin. 
We would all know that such a statement would be pure ob- 
stinacy, for you can see and feel its power. You know how to 
produce it. You know it exists in nature, and yet you cannot 
understand how it becomes a part of nature, or how it came 
into existence. Why not deny this force when you cannot 
comprehend its origin? 

You say reason teaches you that as there is an effect there 
must be a cause. Thank you for this recognition of a fact. 
And now in this material world we have a constant system of 
effects. Everything is the result of some cause. Then I will 
repeat, what is tfcis cause, and how did it come into existence? 
If it is not God who has organized it, what is the power that 
controls? 

This is the way Mr. Ingersoll disposes of these questions 
which he cannot fathom or understand : 

"The easiest way to account for all these wonders is to say 
the 'inspired' writers were mistaken. In this way a fearful bur- 
den is lifted from the credulity of man, and he is left free to be- 
lieve the evidences of his own senses and the demonstrations 
of science. In this way he can emancipate himself from the 
slavery of superstition, the control of the barbaric dead, and 
the despotism of the church." 

Possibly it may be a burden for Mr. Ingersoll to attempt 
to deny the order of creation, and the easiest way to protest 
is to say the "inspired writers were mistaken." Christianity 



380 Chkistian Persecutions. 

does not seem to feel the "slavery of superstition," nor "the 
despotism of the church," and as they enjoy their belief, Mr. 
Ingersoll need not worry over their discomfiture. The fact 
is, they pity his ignorance and believe that his denials are 
more for mercenary ends than for the benefit of mankind. 

As strange a statement as was ever made by Mr. Ingersoll 
is, that man is a slave to "the despotism of the church." Now, 
if it is slavery and despotism there must be some proof of it. 
The victim of tyranny must utter some complaint, or some 
signs of distress. On the contrary, t-h'e whole world of Chris- 
tianity welcomes with gladness the day of reisit. They thank 
God for the privilege of worshiping at a shrine dedicated to 
His Holy Name. Is it despotism to* do that whic'h we love to 
do? Is it slavery to follow the dictates of conscience, to seek 
to do right, to honor God? Is it despotism for a man to spend 
his evenings with his family while others are running the 
streets seeking gossip and frolic? Is it slavery to give to the 
poor, or to donate to the Church because in our hearts we find 
pleasure in doing it? Is it slavery to entreat our brothers to 
quit the paths of evil, and become true and virtuous men? Is 
it despotism to listen to the teachings of love, charity and for- 
bearance? Is it despotism to believe what Mr. Ingersoll dis- 
believes? 

It may be slavery for Mr. Ingersoll to recognize the teach- 
ings of Divine Truth, but what can we say of the Christian 
who is forced to renounce his faith, to deny his Saviour, and to 
publicly declare that there is no God ? Where was the despot- 
ism of the Church when the old Roman emperors made al- 
most every quarter of their empire a slaughter house for the 



Robert Q-. Ingersoll. 381 

persecutions of Christians because they chose to die rather 
than surrender their faith? Possibly Mr. Ingersoll can see 
in this unyielding determination to remain true to their 
Church, a silent slavery which should be condemned and de- 
stroyed. Possibly he may see in this patriotism, this loyalty, 
this love, this obedience to conscience, a depraved nature, but 
what would he say if these qualities had been expended in the 
defense of government? Such loyalty would be rewarded 
with the warmest tributes of exalted praise. No language 
could express the heroic deeds which such constancy must 
unfold. But when expended in the defense of Christian faith 
it becomes slavery and despotism. If it is honorable to be 
loyal to government, it must be honorable to be loyal to the 
principles of truth, the tender sentiments of love, and devotion 
to the conscience of our being. 

When we serve God through fear, and not love; when we 
recognize the Church as an enemy, and not a friend; when we 
believe that Christianity teaches falsehood, and not truth, then 
it is in order for Mr. Ingersoll to seek to relieve his poor, dis- 
tressed worshipers of God from their duties and make them 
free. But until then he has no right to even insinuate this 
blasphemy against the conscience of men. 

But for the Church Mr. Ingersoll would not to-day enjoy 
the blessings of civilization and the freedom of his wonderful 
inspirations. The Church has ever been the stimulating in- 
strument of education. It conquered the barbaric tribes of 
Europe and opened the great pathways of science and com- 
merce. By it England was awakened to the possibilities of 
improvement. Wherever we trace the highest type of devel- 



382 Christian Persecutions. 

opment, there we find the purest Christian devotion. Where 
there is no Church there is ignorance most deplorable. This 
condition needs no argument to prove. We see it in every 
quarter of the inhabited globe. The Church and civilization 
go hand in hand. The Church and the school are the great 
factors for the advancement of the moral and social condition 
of men. Destroy the Church and you destroy the fount of 
inspiration. We cease to warn and admonish, and in this relig- 
ious darkness we become corrupt in morals, debased in intel- 
ligence, and instead of the march of progress, it is the dissolu- 
tion of ambition, of pride, and of prosperity. 

To ridicule the Church is to ridicule the best friend for all 
dhe avenues of life, business, and morality. To denounce the 
Church as despotic and the relic of a barbaric dead, is am ig- 
norance that can exist only in the despotism of obstinacy and 
ungrateful affection. In the history of nations we find that 
wherever a people have surrendered their devotion to the 
Church, there we find a moral decline. We find that the peo- 
ple descend into vice, and into all the evils of a free and un- 
restrained crime. The Church ever pleads for an observance 
of a true type of Christian reverence. It seeks at all times to 
destroy evil, to elevate the fallen, and to hold and sustain the 
purity of thought and action. Individual members may de- 
ceive and practice deceit and Uike Julian, the Apostate, seek to 
destroy the Church and to destroy the Word of God, yet in 
the discovery of this baseness there always arises a spirit of 
truth that overthrows the apostates, winnows the chaff from 
the wheat, and in the end the true religion of Christ becomes 
more enduring, more elevating, and more perfect in its expo- 
sition of the blessings of a pure life. 



Robert G. Ingersoll. 383 

But to return to the theory of Mr. Ingersoll. ''So far as my 
experience goes, there is an unbroken procession of cause and 
effect. Each thing is a necessary link in an infinite chain; and 
I cannot conceive of this chain being broken even for one in- 
stance. Back of the simplest moner there is a cause, and back 
of that another, and so on, it seems to me, forever. In my 
philosophy I postulate neither beginning nor ending." 

This is, indeed, a wonderful philosophy. ''Back of the 
simplest moner there is a cause, and back of that another, and 
so on, it seems to me forever." Is there anything in the whole 
realm of mystery that is so indefinite, so obscure in its com- 
prehension as this? He contemplates no origin and no power 
to institute even the first principle of cause. If he could ex- 
plain some first action, some beginning, no matter if it was an 
inconceivable distance from his "simplest moner," we could 
devise means from an imagination to follow this line of pro-* 
gression until, through Darwin, we originate man. But to 
deny even a commencement, is a feature so marvelous in its 
conception that we almost shudder at his awful daring. 

The boy, in playing with his blocks, sets them on end in a 
continuous row. He topples the first one, and with this sim- 
ple cause it falls against its neighbor, and in turn the neigh- 
bor responds to the next and the whole line becomes a suc- 
cession of cause and effect. If Mr. Ingersoll could evolve the 
first tiny cause we might then proceed to demonstrate the 
laws of creation. We could imagine how in his "unbroken 
chain" we migfat develop the forces of nature, how we could 
organize light, heat, gravity and all the greatness of harmony 
and discipline, but to accomplish this without a -beginning, 



384 Christian Persecutions. 

without a first cause, is a proposition so strange and incompre- 
hensible that we are lost in absurdity. By it we lose all the 
philosophy of existence, the science of demonstration, and the 
reason of intelligence. 

Why, then, does he not admit that there is a Divine crea- 
tion? Admit that there is a God, a cause for all these myste- 
rious seeming impossibilities? The universe could not come 
into existence by chance, nor could there be the first spark of 
force, or the first germ of matter without some cause, or ori- 
gin. But Mr. Ingersoll says, "I postulate neither beginning 
nor ending." Oh! wondrous logic of philosophy, of science, 
of reason. You have followed the line of denial until at last 
you are swamped in the vastness of speculation, and now, to 
sustain a defeated philosophy, you "postulate neither begin- 
ning nor ending." 

Mr. Ingersoll, in describing the Sabbath, says: "The 'Sab- 
bath' was born of asceticism, hatred of 'human joy, fanaticism, 
ignorance, egotism of the priests and the cowardice of the 
people. This day, for thousands of years, has been dedicated 
to superstition, to the dissemination of mistakes, and the es- 
tablishment of falsehoods. Every Freethinker, as a matter of 
duty, should violate this day; he should assert his independ- 
ence, and do all within his power to wrest it from the gloomy 
Church and give it back to liberty and joy. Freethinkers 
should make the Sabbath a day of mirth and music; a day to 
spend with wife and child; a day of games, and books, and 
dreams; a day to put fresh flowers above our sleeping dead; a 
day of memory and hope, of love and rest." 

Is such argument worthy a Christian reply? It is only 



Kobert G-. Ingersoll. 385 

a mass of assertions drawn from his own peculiar reasoning. 
He says the Sabbath is born of "hatred of human joy." What 
does he mean? It is an assertion so widespread that, like his 
"infinite chain," there seems to be "neither beginning nor 
ending?" Hatred of human joy! Does he mean that the 
Church shall cease to labor for the promotion of good? Does 
he mean that sin shall be free to traverse the eanth without 
moral restraint? Does he mean that the Christian shall cease 
to teach the truth, to restrain the people, to curtail vice, to 
prevent the dissipation of life, and to strive to elevate man- 
kind? If this is his meaning, then there can be no argument, 
except as you prefer all the wild manifestations of unrestraint 
to the promotion of order, of moral improvement, and of the 
betterment of society. To denounce the Church because it 
seeks to elevate man from the degradation of sin is a charge 
so inconsistent that it is better to pass it by in silence rather 
than labor to prove its unchristian desecration of the moral 
duties of man. 

He says that the Sabbath, as now conducted, is used for 
"the dissemination of mistakes, and the establishment of false- 
hoods." Has he proved a mistake or a falsehood? Because 
he has conceived an idea, is that idea any proof of his mon- 
strous assertions? While it is useless to argue with a man of 
such intoleration of mind, yet it seems almost a duty to de- 
nounce the heartless and cruel defamation of our day of rest. 
Were we to follow his science we would find that one day out 
of seven is needed to recruit the energy, which was expended 
in the six days of work. This is recognize'd by the whole civil- 
ized world; then why not keep the established 1 day which for 



386 Christian Persecutions. 

thousands of years has been set aside for rest and the worship 
of God. 

In the early days of overland travel to California, those 
who rested their teams on the Sabbath were the first to reach 
their destination, and the best in bodily health and comfort. 
Constant labor without specified' resit, will finally undermine 
the constitution and produce premature decay. Thus, if there 
were no Sabbath days, it would "behoove man to invent one." 

Should Mr. Ingersoll advocate the disobedience of any 
other law than the law of Sabbath observance, he would be 
cried down as a traitor to society and an enemy to the gov- 
ernment, but in this observance, he does not say, we will 
amend the laws and abolish the Sabbath, abolish the "gloomy 
church," the religion of Christ, and the efforts of restraint, but 
he boldly says that "every Freethinker, as a matter of duty, 
should violate the day," and from the sweet rest of Christian 
joy make it a day of revelry arid of unrestraint. In it Chris- 
tians have no rights to honor and respect, no sensitive natures 
to consider, but as it is a religious observance we will call it a 
heresy which ought to be destroyed. I do not believe in a 
God, and we will persecute the mind and conscience of those 
who do. I do not believe in the Church and the Sabbath day 
and I will violate every principle of decency, of manhood, and 
of freedom, by seeking to punish those who love to practice 
its teachings. 

Again, we find Mr. Ingersoll in a position where he admits 
that for aught he knows there may be a God in some shoreless 
vast. He says : "And here let me say, once for all, that when 
I speak of God, I mean the being described by Moses; the 



Kobert G. Ingersoll. 387 

Jehovah of the Jews. There may be, for aught I know, some- 
where in the shoreless vast, some being whose dreams are 
constellations and within whose thoughts the infinite exists. 
About this being, if such an one exists, I have nothing to 
say. He 'has written no books, inspired no barbarians, re- 
quired no worship, and has prepared no hell in which to burn 
the honest seeker after truth." 

The above is but a fair sample of his wondrous knowledge 
of infinity. There may be a being somewhere, but of him we 
know nothing. Why admit such a possibility, even if removed 
beyond the shoreless vast? Why deny that which is reason- 
able and accept the impossible. Is it not possible that it is 
Ingersoll that is mistaken and not Moses? Perhaps, after 
all, there is a God, there is a book of inspired writings, - there 
was a Christ sent to teach men the truth, a Church to labor 
in the field of sin, and a Sabbath for needed rest and worship. 
Perhaps Mr. Ingersoll is mistaken, except as he pleases men 
by his oratory and fills the measure of his contract. 

We will again quote: "Volumes might be written upon 
the infinite absurdity of this most incredible, wicked and fool- 
ish of all fables contained in the repository of the impossible, 
called the Bible. To me it is a matter of amazement that it 
ever was for a moment believed by any intelligent human 
being." 

Why not reason from this point of observation: If it is 
"incredible, wicked and foolish/' why has it withstood all the 
assaults of tyranny, barbarism, and sophistry? Why has it 
spread into every country of the earth? Why is it loved and 
revered by all the civilized nations? Why is it the headlight 



388 Christian Persecutions. 

for progress, for learning, and for the advancement of the 
true happiness of mankind? If foolish and wicked, why has 
it endeared itself stronger an'd stronger in the hearts of 
Christians, and why do we love its precepts more and more? 
It is only love and kindness that can strike the affections of 
the heart, while brutality and vice become a loathing and dis- 
tress. If we love the Bible it must reach -the joy and affec- 
tion of our natures. No, Mr. Ingersoll, your philosophy, 
your reason, and your science fails to pronounce us guilty. 

Here is what this philanthropist would do: "Every foolish 
and immodest thing should be expunged from the Bible. Let 
us keep the g^ood. Let us preserve every great and splendid 
thought, every wise and prudent maxim, every just law, 
every elevated idea, and every word calculated to make man 
nobler and purer, and let us have the courage to throw the 
rest away." 

Then I suppose if we are to adopt' Mr. Ingersoll's proposi- 
tion, we must appoint him to designate what is proper to keep 
and what should be thrown away. Now, suppose we should 
do this, are we sure that he will so separate the wicked from 
the good and virtuous as to make it infallible, or must we 
continue these revisions as often as we raise competent men? 

I will quote but once more from his long line of denials 
and absurdities: "For my part, I care nothing for what the 
Church says, except in so far as it accords with my reason; 
and the Bible is nothing to me, only in so far as it agrees 
with what I think or know.'-' 

Thus we have the man in a nutshell. If the Bible agrees 
with him, then he will accept it; if it does not, then it is rejected 



Robert G. Ingersoll. 389 

as wicked, foolish, and impossible. If the Church will cast 
off its Christian zeal and influence, and sanction the freedom 
of unrestraint, then he will stand by the Church and declare 
it the organ of free thought, of "free conscience, and of free 
sin, vice, and destruction. 

To read these extracts is to see Mr. IngersolPs utter dis- 
respect for God, Christ, Bible, Church, or worship. He 
would destroy the whole fabric of faith, the whole light of 
eternity, and the beautiful thought of the hereafter. Like the 
vegetation of the earth, he would have man live, wither, die, 
and decay. He can see no power, no inspiration, no divinity. 
It is a great realm of ceaseless change, with no beginning 
and no ending. And yet he says : Somewhere in the vast- 
ness of this unknown universe there may be a God to direct 
and to govern. But of ! him he has nothing to say, only that 
he has never written any books, nor are we in any way con- 
nected with him. 

This is the position of all philosophy of Reason. It can- 
not comprehend, so it denies. It can only see nature, and 
therefore will not admit of a further existence. It will believe 
only what it pleases, and is consistent with their line of argu- 
ment. It cannot perform miracles, and in self-defense calls 
it craft or imaginary mistakes. But it finally admits that 
there is a something, a power, a being, but will not acknowl- 
edge any personality in that power. A power wMibut interest, 
without thought of welfare, without pleasure or pain. A 
power hidden from all creation, lost in the shoreless infinity, 
dead to existence, alone, friendless, without conception, 
thought or comprehension. Invisible to all created things. 



390 Christian Persecutions. 

Incapable of presence, unknown, unloved, and above all in- 
capable of love or affection. A being that has always existed, 
and will always remain the same, unchangeable and incapable 
of change, the same before time existed, the same to-day, 
to-morrow, forever and forever. 

Why paint God a being that is not a being, a life that 
is not a life, or a power that is not a power? If He exists, 
why not exist in a rational manner? Why make Him irra- 
tional and without thought or purpose? If the whole realm 
of immensity depends upon His being, why place Him be- 
yond the power of conception or action? Why not place Him 
here as well as beyond the shores of His own creation? If 
this being, or principle, is the infinite creator, why make Him 
an impossibility? Why not have a being tthat watches over 
His creations; that can see, hear, and respond? Why not 
make Him a rational God, and not one that sits beyond all 
space, hid from the grandeur of His own handiwork, sur- 
rounded with solitude, without joy, grief, or compassion, 
without even the attributes of a being — no life, no form, no 
existence? 

If we are a part o>f His creation, why deny a connection 
between us? If Mr. Ingersoll calls us irrational in our belief, 
why is he not a thousandfold more irrational in his reason? 
To deny, when he knows a thing exists, is not logic. To 
admit a God and deny His presence is beyond consistency. 
If God created the universe He is in it. If He created man, 
He is with him. If He is infinite, we are finite. If we are His 
creatures, we are a part of Him, a child of creation, a mind 
from His mind and a spirit from His spirit. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE TEMPORAL POWERS OF THE POPES. 

MUCH has been said throughout the entire civilized world 
in regard to the Temporal Powers of the Pope, espe- 
cially what has been of personal interest to him in the last 
fifty years. While the discussion of the Pope's powers in the 
past may not be of great interest to the reader, yet that which 
affects this generation is of vital importance and worthy of 
narration. The rise and fall of the Papal authority covers 
a period of more than one thousand one hundred and fifty 
years, and would fill a volume. This history, however, will 
cover but little more than its beginning and its ending. 

At one time the Church of Rome exercised a species of 
sovereign authority over nearly all of Europe, parts of Asia, 
Africa, and its conquered provinces in all parts of the world. 
Up to the time of Martin Luther the religion of all Christen- 
dom was of the Catholic faith. This Church, alone, had 
fought the pagan world from the days of Nero. Its religion 
had subdued the powerful tribes of France and Germany. It 
had followed the conquest of England. It had fought, won 
and lost in Persia, Egypt, and Turkey. It was prominent 
in the Crusades in their long years of contest. It had every- 
where sought to spread the gospel of Christ and convert man- 
kind to Christianity. It was the instrument of God to turn the 
nations of the earth from idolatry to the worship of the living 
faith. Men were found, through God's Providence, fitted for 

391 



392 Christian Persecutions. 

the purpose of defending and extending the Church of the 
Apostle Peter. 

From that time to this it has been one continual conflict 
over idolatry, sophistry and isms. While the temporal power 
of the head of the Church has been slowly slipping away, 
yet its intelligence has reached deeper and deeper into the 
hearts of its people, until now it stands as a mighty tree 
spreading its influence over the entire earth. 

According to history, we find that the beginning of the 
Temporal Power of the Popes dates from the year 754, under 
Pope Stephen II. In order to thoroughly understand from 
whence this power was obtained, we must go back about two 
hundred years and review the history of Italy and its fortunes. 

In the year 568 there appeared on the plains of Italy an 
army of men called Lombards, from the region of the Upper 
Danube These men were one of the most powerful German 
tribes, who will now become known in Italian history. The 
name Lombard was given them because of their long beards 
and powerful expression of the face. No intelligence had 
reached the people of Italy of this invasion until they crossed 
the Alps and were in actual possession of territory. After 
years of desperate fighting they succeeded in conquering the 
Italian Peninsula, excepting some of the large cities and 
small portions of territory. They immediately set up a power- 
ful empire, which lasted almost exactly two hundred years. 
These people were intelligent, industrious, and instituted 
many improvements. They built up a system of educa- 
tion, devoted themselves to music, the arts, and various 
pagan achievements. They occupied that part of Italy called 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 393 

Lombardy, and being of light skin and hair, their descendants 
are still known by these fair features, which distinguish them 
from the inhabitants of Southern Italy. 

Let us now drop the two hundred years and return to the 
time of Pope Stephen II. The Lombards were becoming 
troublesome. They had gone beyond the boundaries of their 
provinces and conquest seemed to occupy them more than 
their own possessions. The Pope, becoming alarmed lest 
their encroachments would reach Rome, besought Pipin, the 
king of the Franks, to come to his assistance. The king being 
under obligations to the Pope for past favors responded im- 
mediately, crossed the Alps with a large army and gave the 
Lombards battle. After a series of successful battles the king 
succeeded in driving them from their recently acquired ter- 
ritory, and in the settlement of peace, took a large part of their 
possessions. Not content with his services to the Pope, the 
king conceived the idea of donating these captured provinces 
to his benefactor, thus showing ihis twofold gratitude. The 
gratitude of the king was on account of the assistance ren- 
dered by the Pope in making him king of France. 

We have now given a short narrative of the beginning of the 
temporal power of the Popes. It was not considered at the 
time the gift was made that the Pope should exercise absolute 
sovereignty, but it was given rather as a source of revenue to 
the Church and to maintain an ally, should future protection 
be required. But as time passed on these transferred lands 
were regarded as 'belonging to the Pope and he the temporal 
ruler, with all the rights and privileges of any prince. The 
king was to remain as the guardian and protector of this boun- 

(26) 



394 Christian Persecutions. 

tiful gift, and in times of danger was to come, as he had done 
before, to the rescue. By this gift we now come to understand 
how the name, Papal States, was instituted, and which re- 
mained under the temporal power of the Popes up to a recent 
date. 

In the year 768 Pipin died and his kingdom was divided 
between his two sons, Carloman and Charles. Within three 
years Carloman died and by a free vote of the Franks the en- 
tire kingdom was conferred upon Charles, who from this time 
on is known in history as "Charles the Great," or better still, 
as Charlemagne. It would, indeed, be interesting to follow 
this wonderful warrior, statesman and Christian, but space for- 
bids more than a few remarks. We find him engaged for 
more than thirty years in an endeavor to subdue the pagan 
Saxons, one of the German tribes, and establishing Christian- 
ity. The Saxons finally yielded to the efforts of Charlemagne 
to overthrow paganism, and in their submission they ardently 
embraced Christianity and accepted him as their sovereign. 

One of his first undertakings was to conduct a campaign 
against the Lombards and wrest from them the entire country, 
and with this new acquisition of territory, confirm the donation 
of his father, Pipin. The new Pope, Leo* III, was thankful 
for this kind remembrance, and in the year 800 an event of 
apparently small magnitude, but far-reaching in its effect, was 
enacted, which in later years developed the great countries of 
France, Germany and Italy. At Rome there was a growing 
hostility against the Pope, arising from disputes between the 
Churches of the East and those of the West. The Eastern 
emperors had devised certain changes and reforms in their 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 395 

worship, and demanded that the Western, or Roman, Church 
should adopt them. This dispute reached Rome, and its in- 
habitants were being divided. The Roman bishops were most 
determined in their opposition to the Eastern emperors, and 
denounced them as heretics and schismatics. This action of 
the bishops precipitated trouble, and civil war was about to 
burst upon Rome, when the Pope called upon Charlemagne 
to aid him in subduing his refractory people and stopping the 
contention. The king soon appeared in person with an armed 
force and, entering Rome, seized the disturbers of the peace 
of the Church and punished them. The Pope was very grate- 
ful for the prompt services of the Frankish king and soon after 
crowned him emperor of all the Romans, and the rightful and 
consecrated successor of Caesar Augustus and Constantine. 

To understand the object of the Pope in thus conferring 
this great title upon Charlemagne, we must note the causes 
and the objects to be attained. We have used the term East- 
ern and Western divisions of the Church of Rome. The East- 
ern Churches were ruled by the Byzantine rulers, and com- 
prised the countries of Russia, Greece, Moldavia and Wal- 
lachia, and while they had been established by the same Chris- 
tian authority as the Western, yet they were inclined to rebel 
as to the matter of the government of their worship and the or- 
der of its creed. This was the beginning of the Greek Church, 
which, in the ninth century, became independent and so re- 
mained under the Byzantine Empire until the capture of Con- 
stantinople in 1453. In a preceding chapter we give the 
history of the Greek Church, its origin, numbers, how con- 
ducted and where located. 



396 Christian Persecutions. 

To continue the causes that led the Pope to bestow the 
crown of emperor upon the king of the Franks, we must note 
that at this time the Empress Irene, of the Byzantine empire, 
committed the terrible crime of deposing her son, Constantine 
VI, and putting out his eyes, for the sole purpose of placing 
herself upon the throne. The Italians now claimed that the 
Eastern throne was vacant, as 1 they contended that no woman 
could wear the crown of the Caesars. As the Church was in 
rebellion, the Italians demanded that the Pope declare the 
throne vacant and appoint some true Christian to the position, 
and thus subdue the feeling of insubordination to the Church 
and the Pope of Rome. Accordingly, the Pope looked 
around for some strong Western prince who could govern the 
whole of the Roman empire, and thus unite the two divisions 
of the Church into one harmonious whole. 

Accordingly, as Charlemagne was participating in the re- 
ligious festivities on Christmas Day in the Cathedral of St. 
Peter at Rome, as he knelt in his devotions and was wholly un- 
conscious of this friend's intentions, the Pope approached him 
and placed a gold crown upon his head and proclaimed him 
Emperor of all the Romans. But no good resulted from this 
movement. The Eastern branch of the Church paid no at- 
tention to the newly-proclaimed emperor. They continued 
their line of administration just as though nothing had hap- 
pened in Rome to demand obedience. The Roman empire 
and the Church can now be distinctly divided into the two 
divisions — the Eastern and Westerns divisions of the same 
empire. 

While this new emperor enjoyed the imperial dignity only 



The Tempokal Powers of the Popes. 397 

fourteen years, dying in 814, yet he made for himself, his 
country and his Church a great name. Being a wise states- 
man, he established schools, collected libraries, reformed the 
laws, introduced industries, endowed the schools of art, en- 
couraged science, and most bountifully provided for the main- 
tenance of the Church, its missions and its clergy. Of this 
great king it is said: "He laid the foundation of all that is 
noble, and beautiful, and useful in the history of the Middle 
Ages!" 

After his death his mighty empire crumbled to pieces and 
there followed a troublesome period of wrangling, war and 
bloodshed. The empire was divided among his three grand- 
children — Charles, Lewis and Lothair. France was given to 
Charles, Germany to Lewis, and Italy and the valley of the 
Rhone, with a portion of the Rhine, was given to Lothair, who 
also inherited the imperial title. 

About the middle of the tenth century we find that Otto the 
Great, Emperor of Germany, like a second Charlemagne, con- 
ceived the idea of restoring the whole Christian world to one 
grand world-empire. In 962, about one hundred and fifty 
years after the coronation, at Rome, of Charlemagne as em- 
peror, Otto, by the same Papal authority, and at the same 
place, was crowned Emperor of all the Romans. For a gener- 
ation this title had not been borne by any one. The newly- 
acquired power of Otto was used to advance his ambition. 
He would unite the whole Roman empire. He was its head, 
its ruler, and now would exercise his authority. This ambi- 
tion to exercise control over the temporal affairs of the em- 
pire, soon caused a rupture with the powers of Rome. Two 



398 Christian Persecutions. 

distinct claims were coming into conflict. The Emperor de- 
clared his right to proceed in the management of government 
as best suited his desires, leaving the spiritual teachings to the 
Church. 

Christendom was being divided into two hostile divisions — 
the supporters of the imperial authority and the supporters of 
the Pope. There were three different theories of the proper 
relations of the Pope and Emperor to each other. 

The first theory declared that both Pope and Emperor were 
divinely commissioned by God to govern the destiny of the 
souls and the bodies of men. The first to teach repentance, 
immortality of the soul and to govern the worship of faith. 
The second to be in actual control of the temporal power of 
government, but each to be on the same divine basis, or level, 
to work in harmony, maintain order and to advance and pro- 
tect the Church. 

The second theory placed the Imperial party, its Emperor, 
as superior to the Pope. That all powers of government were 
vested in the Emperor, independent of the Pope. That the 
duty of the Pope was to attend to the affairs of the Church. 

The third theory was the opposite of the second. That the 
temporal powers of the Emperor must at all times be under 
the control of the Pope. 

Thus we find that in but little more than two hundred years 
from the time the Pope first practically obtained temporal 
power, it is being disputed by the growing authority of kings 
and princes. 

These conflicts are constantly occurring and producing 
hostilities, which are often detrimental to the cause of Chris- 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 399 

tianity. The most interesting and instructive chapter in 
mediaeval history, after the tenth century, is the almost con- 
stant struggle between these two contending forces — Pope and 
Emperor — for the maintenance of the powers of temporal gov- 
ernment. 

One of the greatest promoters of the Papal fortunes was 
Pope Gregory VII, better known in history as Hildebrand. 
This Pope was one of the most noted characters of the Mid- 
dle Ages. In 1049 he was called to Rome to become the ad- 
viser of the Church and to assist in shaping its duties. Hilde- 
brand was called from the cloisters of a French monastery, and 
was a man of deep learning, great force of character, and did 
much to establish the universal spiritual and temporal sover- 
eignty of the Holy See. 

In 1073 Hildebrand was elected Pope Gregory VII, and 
immediately on his accession to power set about establishing 
two reforms — the enforcement of celibacy, and the suppression 
of simony. The first was to impress upon the clergy that their 
constant duty was to the Church, and in the acceptance of this 
important position they must sacrifice the attachments of 
home, friends and country, and thus devote all their energies 
to the advancement of the worship of God and the welfare of 
the Church. The second reform refers to^ the practice of Church 
positions being bestowed upon the friends of the princes and 
barons. This was conducted much as is the spoils system of 
the political parties of to-day. A prince, baron, lord, chief, 
or other power, in bestowing rewards, often sold or bestowed 
these positions upon those unworthy of them. To the Church 
this became an evil, as court favoritism was too often used to 



400 Christian Persecutions. 

repay a debt of gratitude, or for the pleasure of friendship. 
In this way many were selected without regard to their fitness 
or ability, and the Church was made to suffer by so doing. 
The Pope now saw the great danger, and determined to 
remedy the evil by denying the right to bestow such gifts. 
The practice had gone so far that princes sought to secure 
revenue by actual sale or barter. The name, simony, was ap- 
plied to this practice of giving, or selling, an office in the 
Church, the offense coming from Simon Magus, who offered 
Paul money for the gift of working miracles. 

Pope Gregory was so determined to destroy this evil that 
he issued a decree forbidding this debasement of privilege, and 
commanded all ecclesiastics to refuse to do homage to the 
temporal lords who violated this decree. In the investiture of 
Church authority, Gregory decreed that the individual should 
receive the ring and staff, the emblem of his office, from the 
hands of the Pope alone, and any one who should dare to dis- 
obey this command would be punished with the anathemas of 
the Church. The undertaking was one of immense magni- 
tude, as the most powerful princes would not surrender their 
privileges without a struggle. The boldness displayed in en- 
acting this measure, however, was the cause of its great suc- 
cess. When it is remembered that, at this time, the Church 
owned vast landed interests in Europe, it is easy to see that the 
control of the revenues was a great incentive for disobedience 
to the demand of the Pope. 

The principal means of declaring punishment was by Ex- 
communication atfd Interdict. 

The Excommunication was directed against individuals. 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 401 

Such persons were cut off from any communication with the 
Church, and were denied the association of their friends. Or, 
if he were a king, or prince, lord or chief, his subjects were re- 
leased from their oath of allegiance. This ban also extended 
to anyone providing food, clothing, or shelter. The indi- 
vidual was denied association of any kind. 

The Interdict was decreed against a city, kingdom or prov- 
ince, and wherever this ban was announced all religious cere- 
monies must cease. The Churches were declared closed, and 
all ceremonies, as of marriage, burial, or otherwise, were de- 
nied. Only baptism of children and the rites of extreme unc- 
tion could be administered. 

Gregory had resolved to meet this just order of reform 
with all the force of his Christian character. He looked upon 
the offering of Church positions as an article to be bought 
and sold with ill-concealed displeasure, and determinedly de- 
manded that it should be abolished. The decree created a 
perfect hurricane of opposition, not only among the princes 
and sovereigns of Europe, but the clergy themselves were 
loud in its denunciation. The dispute thus begun distracted 
the empires of Europe for centuries, and was not settled until 
after the adjustment of the religious peace following the Ref- 
ormation. 

Some historians claim that the causes which led up to 
the Reformation did not emanate from Martin Luther, John 
Calvin, Ulric Zwingli, John Huss, or John de Wickliffe, but 
that the constant jealousies of the royal princes and the 
Church of Rome inspired them. That Pope Gregory struck 
the keynote of revolt when he sought to elevate the position 



402 Christian Persecutions. 

of the Church officials by vesting the power of their appoint- 
ment in the head of the Church, and not subjecting them to 
the temporal power of a sovereign. It was this same class of 
opponents that refused to punish Martin Luther for diso- 
bedience; that sustained the Huguenots in France; that fed the 
spirit of Calvinism; that created revolutions in France, Ger- 
many, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands. The 
Church revolt of this whole period was caused by the mon- 
archs refusing to recognize the rights of discipline, the cor- 
rection of evils, and the direct disobedience of the mandates of 
the Church. 

The most formidable opposition came from Henry IV, 
Emperor of Germany, who refused to recognize the decree of 
the Pope, and in his desperate madness called a council of the 
clergy of Germany, and in retaliation of what he called in- 
toleration, he deposed the Pope and then gave official notice 
to the world. Henry had not contemplated the result. He 
believed he could arouse the whole Christian world against the 
decree of Gregory, and that they would follow his persecution, 
and that the Pope would be forced to either relent or be re- 
moved from the chair. In this he was mistaken. The people 
were horrified at Henry's audacity to publicly proclaim the 
Pope deposed, and failed to support him in his madness. But 
the Pope gathered a council at Rome and, in turn, deposed 
the emperor and then excommunicated him. The effect; was 
most wonderful indeed. Henry was looked upon as a man 
accursed by heaven. His subjects began to revolt, and his 
authority was disobeyed. His kingdom was going to pieces, 
and he was shunned by his subjects as unworthy the con- 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 403 

fidence, power or position of sovereign. It was a most terri- 
ble ordeal for the emperor. His friends forsook him, his ene- 
mies were in revolt, and the Church was closed against him. 
In this wretched condition he sought the Pontiff at Canassa, 
among the Apennines, but the Pope refused to admit him to 
his presence. It was winter, yet the emperor would prove his 
penitence and for three days stood in the court-yard of the 
palace, barefooted and clothed in sackcloth. On the fourth 
day Gregory took compassion on him and admitted him to 
his presence, where, kneeling at the feet of the Pope, he sought 
forgiveness and pleaded to be reinstated to his favor, and to his 
people. Gregory removed the sentence of excommunication 
and bade him go home and sin no more. The Pope kindly ad- 
monished him for his disobedience, and directed him to unite 
his people, and in the future seek to advance Christianity and 
not to dethrone it. 

We will not narrate the incidents that followed Henry's res- 
toration to his people, but having obtained their confidence, 
the spirit of revenge for his humiliation was now aroused, and 
he raised an army, invaded Italy, and drove Gregory into exile 
at Salerno, where, in 1085, he died. His last words were: "I 
have loved justice and hated iniquity, and therefore I die in 
exile." 

The revenge of Henry was but the boomerang of his own 
acts. The quarrel did not end here. The successors of 
Gregory determined to humble his proud spirit. He was ex- 
communicated, and his own sons rose up in rebellion against 
him. He strove for a long time to maintain his power, but the 
cry of Gregory ever sounded in his ears, and at last he suc- 
cumbed, and, in 1106, died of a broken heart. 



404 Christian Persecutions. 

But the feud between the German princes and the Church 
of Rome did not cease with the death of Pope Gregory VII 
and Henry IV. A long and fierce contention ensued which 
lasted more than one hundred years. The proud House of 
Hohenstaufen continued the struggle of opposition to the 
Papal See, which had been going on so long between the 
German princes and the Church of Rome, but in this strug- 
gle the Bishops of Rome won a final triumph and the House 
of Hohenstaufen went down in utter ruin. The fight had been 
long and bitter, and in the issue of this century of conflict their 
power was broken, never again to rise in its past glory and 
strength. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE TEMPORAL POWERS OF THE POPES -Continued. 

\X TE now reach the climax of the temporal powers of the 
* * Popes. It is the 13th century, and the beginning of the 
period of Papal splendor. The power of the Church was al- 
most supreme. Nearly all of the monarchs of Europe swore 
fealty to his power. "Rome was once more the mistress of the 
world." Innocent III had succeeded to the Pontifical throne. 
Under him was nearly made good the wrangle of centuries. 
Innocent was declared the greatest of the Popes after Gregory 
VII. His wonderful powers almost united the Church 
throughout the entire realm of Christianity. 

One of Innocent's greatest triumphs over the kings of 
Europe was that of Philip Augustus, of France, who, having 
put away his wife, was commanded to take her back and was 
forced to submission by a decree of Interdict. Of this sub- 
mission the great English historian and critic, Henry Hallam, 
said: "This submission of such a prince, not feebly supersti- 
tious like his predecessor, Robert, nor vexed with seditions, 
like the Emperor Henry IV, but brave, firm and victorious, is 
perhaps the proudest trophy in the scutcheon of Rome." 

Another wonderful victory for Innocent was the conten- 
tion with King John of England, where we find the following : 
The See of Canterbury falling vacant, the king ordered the 
monks to elect a court favorite, which they did, but the Pope 
immediately declared the election void, as the king had no 

405 



406 Christian Persecutions. 

right to command the election of a favorite, and caused the 
vacancy to be filled by the election of Stephen Langdon. John 
declared that Lang-don should never be installed as the Pope's 
archbishop, and proceeded to confiscate the estates of the See. 
Innocent, not hesitating in this rebellion, excommunicated 
John and placed his whole dominion under an Inderdict. The 
people were alarmed, and demanded of the king an immediate 
reconciliation. Like the German Emperor before him, he 
sued for a restoration of his power and agreed to recognize 
Langdon, restore the confiscated property, and even went so 
far as to offer, of his own free will, the whole of England as a 
perpetual fief, and also to pay to the Papal See the sum of 
1,000 marks annually. This tribute money was paid until the 
year 1289. 

But as time goes on and we reach the year 1309, we see the 
splendor of Innocent III being lost in. the decline of the tem- 
poral power of the Popes. One of the greatest persecutions 
which has ever befallen the head of the Church occurred in 
this year, when the French king, Philip the Fair, caused the 
Papal Chair to be removed from Rome to Avignon, in Pro- 
vence, near the frontier of French territory. It seemed to be 
the ambition of this king to establish the head of the Church 
on French soil, and to be under the control of French kings. 
There appeared to be no conflict of old standing, and no feud 
to avenge, but the object seemed to be purely one of ambition 
to have the Church located under the care and authority of the 
French government. 

The Seat of the Church remained captive at Avignon for 
seventy years, during which time it is known as the Babylo- 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 407 

man Captivity. During this period all the Popes were French 
and as a natural consequence, were controlled by the French 
kings. In writing of this period of captivity, the American 
historian, Charles Stille, says: "In that city the Papacy 
ceased, in the eyes of a very large part of Christendom, to pos- 
sess th'at sacred cosmopolitan idharacter Which, no doubt, had 
much to do with the veneration and respect with which the 
Catholic authority had been regarded/' 

Probably at no time in the history of Christianity had the 
head of the Church borne so little respect as at this. It had 
gone from the consecrated city of Rome, the city that Christ 
had commanded the Apostle Peter to redeem from pagan 
idolatry. Rome had been subdued for the establishment of the 
Church of Christ. It was the only sanctified spot on God's 
earth fitted to preach repentance and to spread the light of 
Christianity unto all nations. It was here that the first mar- 
tyrs of the faith of Christ lay down their lives in death and 
crucifixion. It was here that Peter gave up his life, as Christ 
had given his. It was here that the persecutions of Nero 
opened the eyes of the idolatrous pagans and smote their con- 
science with remorse. It was here that the power of Chris- 
tianity was established, that it received the blessings of God, 
and it was here that it was declared that the gates of hell shall 
not prevail against it. Therefore, it is not strange that this 
desecration of the Holy Chair was derogatory to its sacred- 
ness and to its veneration. It was a captive in a strange land, 
and must be returned to the city of God. 

The Italians became discontented with this French confis- 
cation — this enforced removal of the Pope to Avignon, and 



408 Christian Persecutions. 

an open rupture ensued. The French party refusing to allow 
a return to Rome, and the Italians, in 1378, deciding to stand 
the persecution no longer, and despairing of securing their 
rights, elected a rival Pope. The world now had two Popes — 
one at Avignon, and one at Rome. Matters were growing 
worse. The reverence due this great authority was fast 
dwindling away. Something must be done. There could not 
be two heads and still maintain that discipline, that union of 
spirit and that strength of character which must prevail. 

Finally, in 1409, a general Council of the Church was 
called to meet at Pisa for the purpose of ending this uncalled- 
for quarrel. In this council both Popes were deposed and 
Alexander V elected as the head of 'the Churc'h. Butt here 
matters even grew worse instead of better. Neither of the de- 
posed Popes would submit to the decision of the council, and, 
consequently, there were now three instead of two. 

Matters thus continued until another council was called 
at Constance, and the dispute settled by the resignation of one 
and the deposing of the other two. A new Pope was now 
elected, Martin V, and the Church was again united and the 
Catholic world made glad by its recovery. Rome was the 
sanctified city of Early Christianity, and now it was restored 
to its place as the great 'head of the Church of St. Peter. 

In this conflict of authority we find that the temporal rulers 
of England, Germany and France took advantage of the situ- 
ation, and declared themselves as not amenable to the author- 
ity of the Pope except in matters spiritual. But be it said to 
the credit of those temporal rulers, they were earnest in their 
adherence to the Pope as the supreme head of the Church, and 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 409 

the authority in all spiritual matters, and while they were 
working against his temporal powers yet they were doing all 
that was possible to punish heresy and stop the spread of 
spiritual revolt. 

After the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte the map of Europe 
was readjusted by the celebrated Congress of Vienna. In this 
adjustment Italy was divided somewhat as follows: Lom- 
bardy and Venetia were given to Austria. The princes of the 
House of Hapsburg were given Tuscany, Modena, Parma and 
Piacenza. The Bourbon rulers obtained Naples, while Pope 
Pius VII, and the king of Sardinia, Victor Emmanuel I, were 
the only native rulers. 

Pope Pius VII, who had now returned to the Eternal City 
after being held a captive by Bonaparte and his Papal States 
confiscated by the French Empire, was now fully restored to 
both his possessions, the spiritual and temporal authority. But 
the peace was not of long duration. Secret societies were be- 
ing formed all over Italy, the great object being the overthrow 
of the powers of the princes and the Pope and the establish- 
ment of a republic by a consolidation of all the states of Italy. 
Plots and intrigues were everywhere secretly devised, and the 
whole body politic was one mass of inflammation. 

In 1820-1821 an insurrection broke out in the kingdom of 
the two Sicilies. The Liberal Party was about to win when 
an army of 60,000 Austrian troops was sent to restore order 
and authority. Foreign powers interfered in the affairs of the 
Church and continued to feed the discontent of the people. 
The leaders of the rebellion were continually spreading their 
complaints and heaping calumnies against the Holy See. 

(27) 



410 Christian Persecutions. 

Neither prince nor Pope were spared in these malicious at- 
tacks. It was again the cry of the old French Revolution: 
Down with the monarchies of Italy! Down with the Pope of 
Rome! And while these agitators were loud in their assaults 
against the Church, yet it was neither doctrine nor faith that 
was being defied, but the power to govern, to be ruled by the 
Pope, or by any power of lord or prince. It was not the cry 
of Martin Luther, to destroy the Church's dogmatical teach- 
ings, but the cry to destroy and to break down the temporal 
power of the Pope. 

In 1830-1831 a new revolution again appeared, its central 
movement being in the Papal States, and again the Austrian 
troops hurried to quell the insurrection. Austria was now 
dominant over the destiny of Italy. Twice had her armies 
crushed the aspirations of those who were secretly intriguing 
to overthrow the powers of Italy. These defeats only aroused 
more fully the deep hatred of all things German. "Death to 
the Germans!" was rung from one end of the empire to the 
other. Those who had been inclined to obedience were now 
secretly plotting and assisting the numerous conspiracies. The 
Pope was not secure in his friendship, for those who professed 
fealty were only spies ready to rise in open revolt when an 
opportunity was presented. To-day he would express his 
plans and to-morrow his enemies were in full knowledge of 
them. Sworn secrecy was everywhere the instrument of per- 
secution. What the conspirators failed to obtain by honorable 
means they accomplished by the secret workings of the so- 
cieties that were organized to defeat the Pope and take from 
him his possessions. 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 411 

But while there was unity as regards a deadly hatred 
against the Austrians, yet in the disposition of the proposed 
republic there was a lack of national organization. One party, 
known as "Young Italy," and founded by that active republic- 
an, Joseph Mazzini, advocated a republic pure and simple. 
Another party desired to form a constitutional confederation 
of all the states of Italy, with the Pope as its chief. The third 
party clung to the ideas of a monarch, and looked upon the 
king of Sardinia as its head. 

For nearly eighteen years Italy lay smouldering in the cra- 
ter of insurrection, when again the fires of revolt Burst forth 
anew, and in 1848-1849 the whole country arose in rebellion, 
but by the united intervention of Austria and France it was 
again quelled, and their leaders either executed, imprisoned, or 
forced to leave the country. The hopes of the Italians were 
now crushed, and the movement to establish an independent 
republic by the overthrow of the monarchies and the Pope 
was abandoned, and secret intrigue was again inaugurated. 
This time it was to enlist the kingdom of Sardinia in the liber- 
ation of Italy. What they could not accomplish by republican 
revolution they now sought to obtain by enlisting one mon- 
arch against another. It would be a matter of substitution, 
not liberty under a republican form of government, but a 
substitution of one monarchy for another. 

Victor Emmanuel II was the king of Sardinia and Count 
Cavour his prime minister, while associated with him was the 
"hero of the red shirt," Garibaldi, a man whose life had been 
full of romantic adventures, who had most violently clamored 
for republicanism, and who had already been twice exiled 



412 Christian Persecutions. 

from Italy. Around these three characters now crowded the 
revolutionary party of the Italian states. The hour for an- 
other attack had arrived. In 1859 Count Cavour had made a 
secret compact with the French emperor, whereby he solemnly 
agreed to demand that Austria should restore Lornbardy and 
Venetia to their own free governments and cease to interfere 
with the internal affairs of Italy, and failing to do this, Sardinia 
would declare war and France would be her ally. 

The Austrian government refused to accede to these de- 
mands, and open conflict immediately followed. The Sar- 
dinian and French armies won the two great battles of Ma- 
genta and Solferino, and but for the threatening attitude of 
Prussia and Germany the war would have been continued, but 
Napoleon, seeing the possibilities of a long struggle, opened 
negotiations for peace, which resulted somewhat favorable to 
the Sardinian government, although the people were not yet 
satisfied. In this peace Sardinia acquired Lornbardy, Modena, 
Tuscany, Parma and Romagna, with a population of 9,000,- 
000. With this increase in membership of the Italian family, 
her strength was greatly augmented and in the coming conflict 
with the Pope of Rome, the Italians would more easily over- 
come his authority and become master of the entire peninsula. 

Slowly and surely does the planning, the plotting, and the 
intriguing of Victor Emmanuel and his daring, venturous 
Garibaldi gather the states of Italy into his kingdom. In 1860, 
the subjects of Francis II, king of Naples and Sicily, rose in 
revolt. Now was the time for another move upon the checker 
board of Italy. Victor Emmanuel and his minister, Cavour, 
were in strong sympathy with the movement, but fearing 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 413 

the jealousy of France and Austria, they were careful in their 
outward demonstrations, but in secret conclave the King of 
Italy allowed his right-hand accomplice, Garibaldi, to raise an 
army of one thousand five hundred volunteers, and set sail 
from Geneva for Sicily, where he declared himself Dictator of 
Sicily in the name of Victor Emmanuel, "King of Italy." This 
strong and passionate general, with the assistance afforded 
him by the uprising of the people, soon overcame the troops 
of Francis and drove them out of the island; then crossing to 
Naples, he again declared his sovereignty. By a vote, the 
people decided that these two countries, Sicily and Naples, 
should be annexed to the possessions of Victor Emmanuel, 
and the Sardinian kingdom, after this conquest, is to be known 
as the kingdom of Italy. By this achievement 9,000,000 more 
Italians were added to the new government, and nothing stood 
in the way of a total absorption of all the territories of Italy 
but the coveted Venetia and the Papal States. 

Again were secret societies spreading their revolutionary 
tenets in every direction, and with a double force. On to 
Rome and a confiscation of the last vestige of temporal power 
of the Pope, was the secret intrigue of a thousand leagues. 
The Freemasons, the Order of Carbonari, and the Union 
Leagues, were secretly and most industriously seeking to in- 
cense the people against the Papal authority, and when the 
hour should arrive for the final insurrection, its force should 
be so strong and overwhelming that no power could resist. 
The last move should be so planned that the work of revolu- 
tion should not fail. They could build upon the prejudices of 
the people. They could establish their missions in the very 



414 Christian Persecutions. 

Vatican of Rome. They could spy upon every movement of 
the Pope, and in the coming time, which proved not far dis- 
tant, they could snatch from the Pope the last remnant of the 
once magnificent possessions of the Holy See. Only the 
Papal States stood between the sovereignty of Victor Em- 
manuel and the Church of Rome, and these would soon be 
wrested from its temporal power, and the last vestige of its 
secular authority would be overthrown. 

In 1866 war between Prussia and Austria offered the 
looked-for opportunity to compel the Austrian government to 
surrender to the kingdom of Italy the Venetian possession. 
Here again we see the shrewd diplomacy of Victor Emman- 
uel. He formed an alliance with the king of Prussia, the 
bargain fee being the province of Venetia when peace was de- 
clared, and that no peace should be agreed to without this 
bargain. The war was of short duration, only seven weeks, 
so in an almost incredibly short space of time this coveted 
territory was added to this new kingdom of Italy. 

At last the dreams of Victor Emmanuel, Cavour, and his 
daring and illustrious Garibaldi were almost to be realized. 
They had brought under one government all the Italian prov- 
inces except Rome, and now to make the conquest perfect 
they must invent some excuse for assaulting the Sacred City of 
Christ and his Apostle Peter. In their ambition not even the 
sacredness of the Pope's possessions could remain untouched. 
Italy must be under one government, and the Pope's power 
must no longer prevail. It was argued that to be at the head 
of the Church was all the possessions he should have on earth. 
Rome and the Papal States were wanted to fill the measure of 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 415 

conquest. It mattered not if the Pope was. persecuted and 
driven from the city of his earthly power. He must surren- 
der the last earthly possession and hand over to his conquer- 
ors the Eternal City. Rome was the coveted possession of 
the king of Italy. It had been the mistress of the world, and 
it should now be the mistress of Italy, not through the power 
of the Pope, but by the power of Victor Emmanuel. All 
eyes of Italy looked to Rome. The whole Christian civil- 
ization of two continents was waiting with bated breath for 
the final struggle. It was no ordinary contest. It was a 
contest between the head of the Great Roman Catholic 
Church and the ambitions of Victor Emmanuel and Garibaldi. 
Would the contest come? When? France stood at the gates 
of the Holy City as the sentinel waits and watches for the ap- 
proach of an enemy. She is the ally of the Pope and Italy 
must wait. But still the secret intrigue goes on. The youth 
of Italy are enticed to join the secret societies and thus become 
the enemies of the Church. Children are taught to smile with 
scorn and derision at the mention of infallibility. In this 
teaching they grossly misrepresent its meaning. The teacher 
represents that the Pope claims that he cannot err or sin, that 
he is raised above the earthly desires of men, that he is divine 
in the exposition of faith, and that he gives his life, as Christ 
gave his for the benefit of all mankind. By these teachings 
the youth is taught to disbelieve, to view with skepticism the 
sanctity of the position of the Pope, and to mar his faith in the 
tenets of the Church. 

But not long did these anxious watchers have to wait. In 



416 Christian Persecutions. 

1870 came the terrible conflict between France and Germany. 
The faithful sentinels of the French army were called from the 
City of Rome. The door was open and the Pope was now at 
the mercy of the king of Italy. The French armies were de- 
feated and the ally of the Pope was lost in the establishment 
of the Republic of France. Victor Emmanuel ordered his 
troops to enter Rome, and on the 20th of September, 1870, he 
himself took possession of the papal palace of the Quirinal. 

Thus was the last act accomplished in dispossessing the 
Pope of the remnant of his temporal power. He was no 
longer in his own diminions. Like Christ, he could exclaim: 
The birds of the air have their nests and the foxes of the fields 
have their holes, but the representative of the Church of Christ 
has no where to lay his head. Thus despoiled of his temporal 
power, the Pope retired to the Vatican, refusing to accept the 
law guaranteeing to him his freedom and the civil list which 
provided him with a stipulated revenue. 

Thus have we briefly followed the rise and fall of the tem- 
poral power of the Bishops of Rome. It was more than one 
thousand years since Pipin and Charlemagne had invested the 
Church with perpetual authority over the Papal States. In 
this long period the Church maintained its authority with 
scarcely an intermission. The world had ever regarded these 
States as sacred to the control of the Church, but while the 
Catholic world may mourn over its loss, yet there has been 
no decrease in its constant work for the spiritual, welfare of 
mankind. Its growth among nations has been wonderful, 
and although persecutions have often impeded its progress, 



The Temporal Powers of the Popes. 417 

yet it has surmounted all obstacles, repulsed the forces of 
bigotry and fanaticism, and now, in the strength of a magnifi- 
cent and unparalleled spiritual government, it asks you to re- 
move your prejudices, to cast aside your ignorance, and to 
welcome it to your society. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

INFALLIBILITY OF THE POPES. 

r^EW Protestants understand the real meaning of the Infal- 
* libility of the Popes. Like many important features, or 
histories, of the Catholic Church, which have been grossly 
misrepresented, so, too, has this doctrine of Papal authority 
been belied, slandered, and condemned, and all because of 
ignorance of the subject under discussion. 

Probably no> interpretation of Catholic dogma has been 
looked upon by Protestants with so little reverence as this, 
but when we analyze the interpretation that is usually given, 
we ought not to wonder why it is so, for we find that Prot- 
estants are usually taught that the Pope, being called Infal- 
lible, is above the possibility of sin. Infallibility to them can 
have but one construction, and that which refers to a perfect 
purity of mind and body. Catholics may wonder why such a 
belief should become so prevalent among other Christian 
denominations, but when I tell you I have always lived in as 
intelligent a State, county and town as there is in the United 
States, and yet, during my w'hole life (and I am now turning 
the corner of manhood's prime), I have no recollection of 
ever hearing a Protestant who pretended to explain Infalli- 
bility, except as it meant an impossibility to sin. The whole 
argument has ever been to present this one idea, and in its 
presentation we could see the error of belief. We could see 
that the Pope was a man, that once he was an ordinary priest, 

418 



Infallibility of the Popes. 419 

and now to place hiim in the Papal chair and say by this 
act that he is above sin was carrying the sublime to a point of 
inconsistency, and of course through Protestant eyes it became 
a ridiculous farce. 

Thus we 'find that almost universally, outside of Catholics, 
the belief refers to a perfect purity of life, with no error and 
no sin; that every act is pure and holy; and because of these 
Christ-like inspirations, the Pope is placed above the worldly 
passions of men, and thus made Infallible in speech, in deed, 
and in instruction. This is the general opinion that is accepted 
by Protestants everywhere. And why should they not believe 
it? Like myself, they were taught it in society, in the church, 
at home, at school, when abroad, in fact it was an unconscious 
instruction in every walk of life. Every Protestant child 
grows to the years of understanding w^ith this thought firmly 
implanted in his mind. How could it be otherwise? He 
received no counter instruction, and without even observa- 
tion, believed that Catholics accepted the doctrine of Infalli- 
bility as a divine power of man. 

When I look back through my career in life, when I 
realize that this one lesson of all other lessons was accepted 
without discussion, or even investigation, I simply stop in 
my meditations and say to myself: This is the only instruc- 
tion which I have ever received in which I did not consider 
the subject, and in considering, investigate its foundation. I 
accepted the statement as a fact and could not conceive how 
any intelligent being could be so blinded in faith as to believe 
that a Pope could not sin. In my ignorance I actually pitied 
the misguided Catholic for his infatuation and blindness, 



420 Christian Persecutions. 

when in reality I should have pitied myself for accepting the 
statement of others without a study, or even a thought of 
investigation. 

Having commenced a study of the Catholic Church, it 
became an easy matter to follow one principle after another 
without any serious trouble of misunderstanding, and as I 
did so I found that I had gathered only prejudice and mis- 
statements. The history of the Church was beconiing fascinat- 
ing to me, for it was developing a character so much different 
from what I had been taught to believe. I found that I had 
been deceived in my views concerning it. It was not that 
awful instrument of persecution, rack, and torture, which had 
been charged against it. There were two sides to every charge 
and grievance raised in its opposition. There were two sides to 
the Reformation and its long line of wars and desolation. There 
were two sides to the history of the Huguenots of France. 
There were two sides to< the massacre of St. Bartholomew. Two 
sides to the Spanish Inquisition, the controversy on the Bible, 
the history of Oliver Cromwell, of Queen Mary, and the 
oppressed and persecuted Mary, Queen of Scots. And on 
further investigation I found a new vision in the sainted and 
beautiful life of the mother of Jesus, and as I developed in 
my mind this wonderful miracle of God by w'hich the Saviour 
of man came into the world, I learned to reverence the instru- 
ment of purity that gave Him< birth. To me the Virgin Mary 
was no longer an ordinary woman, no more than, was Christ 
an ordinary man, By this I do not mean to represent that the 
mother of Jesus was of divine origin, but being prepared for 
this great event in the history of mankind, she could not 



Infallibility of the Popes. 421 

be an ordinary woman. Her mission was one of a grander 
purpose. Her body was consecrated to the most holy office 
which could be conceived in the wisdom of God. He was 
to give his only-begotten Son to mankind as a redemption for 
sin, and in this gilt, this bringing to earth His* own spirit, He 
could not select only that which was pure and undefiled. 

And now, when we find that Catholics look upon the 
Virgin Mary with love and veneration, when they kneel before 
her s'hrine, when they invoke her aid in their intercessions 
before the throne of Grace, we are forced to believe that they 
see aod feel what Protestants do not understand. I may be 
too expressive in my demonstrations of this pure relation 
which must exist between Jesus and his mother, yet I cannot 
now conceive how any other relation could have existed, nor 
can I understand how a Christian can love his Redeemer with- 
out loving and blessing the being who gave Him birth. It 
would seem to me that the more a person would worship 
God, the more he must honor and venerate the Blessed Virgin. 

But I can understand why Protestants are not thus en- 
thused. I was taught that these demonstrations of affection 
are but mockery. I believed they worshiped the Virgin Mary, 
just as I believed that their doctrine taught that the Pope was 
Infallible and above sin. With these views of a subject it is 
not strange, after all, that we grow to manhood in ignorance 
of what Catholics profess and believe. In our misjudgment 
we mentally condemn What does not exist, and in our imag- 
ination we do not stop to inquire or investigate, but follow in 
the old line of supposition. 

In order to give an undisputed evidence of what Infalli- 



422 Christian Persecutions. 

bility means, I will quote from Cardinal Gibbons, one of the 
best Catholic authorities on this continent. The Cardinal 
says : 

' 'The Infallibility of the Popes does not signify that they 
are inspired. The Apostles were endowed with the gifts of 
inspiration, and we accept their writings as the revealed word 
of God." 

"No Catholic, on the comtrary, claims that the Pope is 
inspired, or endowed with divine revelation properly so called." 

"Infallibility does not mean that the Pope is impeccable, or 
specially exempt froni liability to sin. The Popes have been, 
indeed, with few exceptions, men of virtuous lives. Many 
of them are honored martyrs. Seventy-mine out of the two 
hundred and fifty-nine that sat on the chair of Peter, are 
invoked upon our altar as saints eminent for their holiness." 

"The avowed enemies of the Church charge only five or 
six Popes with immorality. Thus, even admitting the truth 
of the accusations brought against them, we have forty-three 
virtuous to one bad Pope, while there was a Judas Iscariot 
among the twelve Apostles." 

"But, although a vast majority of the Sovereign Pontiffs 
should have been so unfortunate as to lead vicious lives, this 
circumstance would not of itself impair the validity of their 
prerogatives, which are given, not for the preservation of their 
morals, but for the guidance of their judgment; for there 
was a Balaam among the Prophets, and a Caiphas among the 
High Priests of the Old Law." 

"The present illustrious Pontiff (Pius IX) is a man of 
no ordinary sanctity. He has already filled the highest posi- 



Infallibility of the Popes. 423 

tion in the Church for upwards of thirty years, 'a spec- 
tacle to the world, to angels, and to men,' and no man 
can point out a stain to his moral character. And yet, 
Pius IX, like his predecessors, confesses his sins every 
week. JEach morning, at the beginning of Mass, he says at 
the foot of the altar, 'I confess to Almighty God, and to His 
Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and 
deed.' And at the Offertory of the Mass he says: 'Receive, 
O Holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, this oblation which 
I, Thy unworthy servant, offer for my innumerable sins, 
offenses, and negligences/ " 

"With these facts before their eyes, I cannot comprehend 
how ministers of the Gospel betray so much ignorance, or are 
guilty of so mudh malice, as to proclaim from their pulpits, 
which ought to be consecrated to truth, that Infallibility 
means exemption from sin. I do not see how they can bene- 
fit their cause by so flagrant perversions of truth." 

"Finally, the inerrability of the Popes, being restricted to 
questions of faith and morals, does not extend to the natural 
sciences, such as astronomy or geology, unless where error 
is presented under the false name of science, and arrays itself 
against revealed truths. It does not, therefore, concern itself 
about the nature and motion of planets. Nor does it regard 
purely political questions, such as the form of government a 
nation ought to adopt, or for what candidates we ought to 
vote." 

Thus we have from the words of the best of authority 
that Infallibility does not mean any of the gross charges which 
have been preferred against it. A Pope is not above other 



424 Christian Persecutions. 

men, except that his great learning and piety have made him 
an acceptable candidate for this exalted position. Possibly 
Protestants may not know that when a Pope ascends the 
Papal chair he is a man of mature years, when human 
ambition and passions are on the wane. "His personal ex- 
penses do not exceed a few dollars a day. He eats alone and 
very abstemiously. He has no wife, no children to enrich with 
the spoils of office, as he is an unmarried man. The Popedom 
is not hereditary, like the sovereign of England, but elective, 
like the office of our President, and the Holy Father is suc- 
ceeded by a Pontiff to whom he is bound by no family ties." 

While Protestants often regard the Pope as a man of arbi- 
trary power, yet we find him past the prime of life, elected by 
his associates because of his power of understanding, because 
of his ability to govern his Church, and because he has proved 
by his life a worthy successor of those who have preceded him. 
We also find him outside of the affairs of state, with no politics 
and no desires to dictate what others shall do or say. His 
mission is to interpret the laws of the Church, and in all mat- 
ters of religion or faith he stands as the exponent, the In- 
fallible guide and the highest authority. As the Supreme 
Court is the infallible exponent of the Constitution of the 
United States, so is the Pope the Supreme Court of the 
Church. 

"The Pope, therefore, be it known, is not the maker of 
divine law; he is only its expounder. He is not the author of 
revelation, but only its interpreter. All revelation came from 
God alone through His inspired ministers, and it was com- 
plete in the beginning of the Church. The Holy Father has 



Infallibility of the Popes. 425 

no more authority than you or I to break one iota of the 
Scripture, and he is equally with us the servant of the divine 
law." 

To more forcibly impress my readers with the duties of the 
office of Pope as it refers to the Church and State, I will again 
quote: "The Pope's Infallibility, therefore, does not in any 
way trespass on civil authority; for the Pope's jurisdiction 
belongs to spiritual matters, while the duty of the State is to 
provide for the temporal welfare of its subjects/' 

"When a dispute arises in the Church regarding the sense 
of Scripture, the subject is referred to the Pope for final ad- 
judication. The Sovereign Pontiff, before deciding the case, 
gathers around him his venerable colleagues, the Cardinals of 
the Church; or he calls a council of his associate judges of 
faith, the Bishops of Christendom; or he has recourse to other 
lights which the Holy Ghost may suggest to him. Then, 
after mature and prayerful deliberation, he pronounces judg- 
ment, and his sentence is final, irrevocable, and Infallible." 

Not long ago, while discussing the Infallibility of the Pope, 
I read to my friend the above quotations, showing that even 
in the Pope's decisions of disputes he does not -depend upon 
his own wisdom, but, like the President of the United States, 
who summons his cabinet for advisement, so, too, does the 
Pope summon his Cardinals, or Bishops, for advice in all 
important and essential principles relating to the Church. My 
friend remarked that the Pope might not call the Cardinals 
and Bishops,' but depend upon wisdom derived from the Holy 
Ghost, and as such would interpret the law without the aid 
of his associates, but would still be Infallible. My friend 

(28) 



426 Christian Persecutions. 

seemed to appreciate the efforts made by the Cardinals to 
select only such an one as was eminently qualified to fill the 
position of Pope, but was fearful that the inspiration of the 
Holy Ghost might not be interpreted without error, while a 
full discussion by Cardinals, or Bishops, would be a better 
exposition of divine truth. 

Here, again, were the outcroppings of doubt, prejudice, 
and a misunderstanding. My frienid was afraid to trust the 
judgment of the Pope, who would become the dreaded one- 
man power, which Protestants seem to fear so much. Such is 
usually the sentiment of all those who oppose the Catholic 
Church. They know that in all organizations, no matter 
what is its nature, be it local, secret, or government, there 
must be some head, power, or governing influence, to guide, 
or control. Without a directing 'hand to point out the path 
of duty and to hold and sustain discipline, there cannot be 
harmony. As the general stands at the head of his army 
to give instruction to his subordinates, so, too, stands the 
Pope at the head of his Church to preserve harmony, to 
explain Scripture, to define the duties of faith and worship, 
and in this exposition there can be no doubt and no appeal. 
His decfsion becomes final and Infallible. His is the highest 
court in the Church. He is the Chief Justice, the elected 
power to prescribe, the recognized authority, and while he 
calls his Cardinals and Bishops to advise and to give wisdom, 
yet it is not because of a necessity, but to insure a perfect and 
undeniable decision. 

One form of opposition against Papal Infallibility is that 
he has no right to interpret the Bible, or any passage thereof. 



Infallibility of the Popes. 427 

Ministers, in preaching against this Infallibility, are loud in 
their declaration of individual rights to read the Word of 
God and determine for themselves the truths contained 
therein. They seem to believe that a Pope, Bishop, or Priest, 
has no right to explain the divine truths of the Scriptures, 
but at the same time they declare that they themselves feel 
the presence of God, they pray that his servant shall be rilled 
with wisdom, that i!he Holy Ghost shall enter his heart, and 
that his words shall be the inspiration of that Spirit. They 
teach from the most approved commentaries, and constantly 
explain divine instruction. While they deny to others the 
right of instruction, yet they ask that their expositions shall 
be accepted asi the Infallible doctrine of faith and worship. 

A prominent Protestant Bishop once said, when discuss- 
ing the right of the Pope to explain the Scriptures: "For my 
part, I have an infallible Bible, and this is the only infallibility 
that I require." Possibly this Bishop may be able to inter- 
pret every passage of Scripture exactly as it is designed by 
God; if he can, then he is infallible, and he has delegated to 
himself exactly What he denies to the Pope. If he cannot 
positively understand and explain every passage of the Bible, 
he may look for someone who can, and again he denies this 
right to those whose duty it is to announce these explana- 
tions. Therefore this Bishop is either infallible or he is not. 
If he is not then he must find someone who is, otherwise he 
is not competent to teach a perfect doctrine of faith and 
salvation, and if he is infallible then he becomes his own 
Pope. 

But is this true? Does he correctly interpret the infallible 



428 Christian Persecutions. 

doctrine of Christ? If he does, them the one hundred other 
denominations who take the Bible as their standard of au- 
thority must be in error. If one out of the one hundred is 
right, then ninety and nine must be wrong. Now, there can 
be but one true version, and yet each denomination has made 
its own infallible doctrine from the same source. Is this not 
the result of individual study? And when we place the Bible 
in the hands of every seeker after truth and tell him to teach 
himself, have we not imposed upon him a burden which he 
cannot possibly understand? If the wisest theologians cannot 
agree there may be, after all, some grounds for conferring 
upon the Popes this Infallibility and thus prohibit the never- 
ceasing controversy which must be the result where there is 
no denned authority, and beyond which there is no appeal. 
Thus is it not demonstrated that it becomes an absolute neces- 
sity that there must be some authorized and unerring inter- 
preter? 

For this, and only this, has the Church rested its final au- 
thority in the hands of the Pope. To do otherwise would be 
impossible and still retain a perfect union. Destroy this 
authority and you destroy the rock of its foundation. It is 
the compass, the lighthouse, and the pilot, without which the 
Church must flounder in confusion and chaos. The wonder- 
ful spread of Christianity through all the nations of the earth 
is due to the acknowledged authority to direct, control, and 
sustain. Had there been no head, the jealous rivalry of con- 
tending forces would have brought disaster and ruin. As 
governments require a court of final resort, so, too, does the 
Church require its Pope, who is and must be the Infallible 



Infallibility of the Popes. 429 

guide in all that pertains to the spiritual welfare of the Church. 

Many Protestants are not willing to recognize, nor do they 
comprehend, that the Catholic Church holds an unbroken line 
of Church sovereignty from the Apostle Peter to the present 
day. For over eighteen hundred years they can trace a per- 
fect succession of the two hundred and sixty Popes, with the 
name of each, his date of assuming the chair, his time of 
sovereignty, his church work, and the time and manner Of 
his death. 

From the Bible, as well as the Church, we find that Peter 
was the recognized and the appointed head from the year 42 
to the year 67. That he was so appointed must be recognized 
by every Christian denomination!. It is true that some pro- 
fessed Christians deny that any special power was conferred 
upon Peter by which he was to hold and sustain the Church. 
But if we believe the New Testament there can be no doubt 
but on him was laid the responsibility of Church government, 
as well as to preach repentance. If you do not believe in 
Divine Scripture then you may deny any or all of the acts 
of Providence, as well as to deny the existence of immortality. 
But if you believe in the words of Jesus, you must concede 
that when He addressed Peter, as he did in Matthew xvi, that 
there must have been a meaning. Either Christ meant what 
he said, or He did not. If he meant it, which he did, for 
Jesus in his teachings always meant exactly what he said, then 
you must accept his words just as they are written. 

"And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this 
rock I will build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not 
prevail against it. 



430 Christian Persecutions. 

"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of 
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earfli, shall be 
bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth, 
shall be loosed in) heaven'." 

Now, what is this meaning? Is it for you or for me to 
question its assertion, or to present a different explanation? 
No language could be more explicit, or more direct. "Thou 
art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and 
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 

Again, we find in the language of our Saviour: "I, the 
Supreme Architect of the universe, will establish a Church 
which is to last till the end of time. I will lay the foundation 
of this Church so deep and strong on the rock of truth that 
the winds and 1 storms of error shall not prevail against it. 
Thou, O Peter, shalt be the foundation of this Church. It 
shall never fall, because thou shalt never be shaken; and 
thou shalt never be shaken, because thou shalt rest on Me, 
the rock of truth." 

Thus do we have the positive assurance that Peter is the 
rock of the Church, the foundation upon which error cannot 
prevail, and as He has declared that "I will give unto thee 
the keys of the kingdom of 'heaven: and whatsoever thou 
shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever 
thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." 

Was greater power ever conferred upon man, than that 
every act should be accepted as 'perfect? Peter was made, not 
only the rock upon which the Church should rest, but he 
should be above error, infallible, and incapable of expressing 
a false doctrine of worship. 



Infallibility of the Popes. 431 

No other disciple was given this power of infallibility, but 
being appointed to stand at the head of Christianity, to teach 
divine truths, and to advance the Church in its influence 
among men, he must be endowed with the gift of truth and the 
power to hold and sustain this truth. 

Again, we find in the XXI Chapter of St. John, that Jesus, 
after having arisen from the dead, said unto Peter: "Feed 
my lambs; feed my sheep." And to impress upon him more 
firmly this injunction He three times repeats to Peter, "feed 
my sheep." 

Thus do we find that Peter is appointed by our Lord to 
be the universal shepherd of His flock, and were we to follow 
this divine injunction, as it must relate to the Church, w T e 
will find that as Peter was the shepherd of all the people, so, 
too, would the Pope be the shepherd of all his people, that 
he "must feed the flock, not with the poison of error, but with 
the healthy food of sound doctrine; for he is not a shepherd, 
but a hireling, who administers pernicious food to his flock." 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

THE VIRGIN MARY. 

PEW Protestants, if any, understand the true relation that 
* religiously exists between the Catholics and the Virgin 
Mary. They do not understand why she is so warmly and 
earnestly loved and honored, or why, in the fullness of devo- 
tion to their faith, the Catholics kneel before her image, or 
stand in solemn veneration before her picture. Protestants 
see these acts of loyalty, of faithful gratitude, and of deep and 
lasting veneration, but they do not comprehend its meaning. 
They do not understand the sweet affection, the purity of pur- 
pose, and the sublime relation existing between the Blessed 
Virgin and the Son of God. 

Protestants look upon the picture of the Mother of Jesus 
just as they would upon the likeness of some renowned char- 
acter. It excites their curiosity, but they are not moved to 
a feeling of holy piety. Having critically examined it as a 
work of art, they turn to other curiosities, but not once do 
they have in their hearts a serious thought of pious love for 
these representatives of divine existence. Again, as they 
stand before the image of Christ on the Cross, they 
think mot of the sacrifice of the body, the mortal pain, the 
redemption of sin, or the salvation of mankind. To them it 
is an idol representing a historic past, a figure of history, and 
an emblem of Catholic worship. They do not appreciate the 
filial affection of the devout Catholic. It was never taught to 

432 



The Virgin Mary. 433 

them in their infancy, and has never been impressed upon 
their minds as a reverence due to Christ, the Savior of man, 
and the Son of God. Without these impressions they cannot 
appreciate the feelings and the motives of the true Catholic. 

These things are not written from imagination, but from 
reality. The author knows whereof he speaks, having numer- 
ous times stood within the Catholic sanctuary of divine wor- 
ship, but experienced no feeling of reverence for God. His 
eyes rested upon the beautiful works of art, but not upon the 
beautiful thoughts of divinity. He uncovered his head, be- 
cause he was in the Church of God, but not because it was 
a sanctified place of worship. He saw kneeling worshipers, 
and while he silently respected their solemn meditations, yet 
the thought of bending the knee before the throne of Grace 
never entered his mind. It was not veneration, but curiosity, 
that prompted him to gaze upon the image of Christ and his 
Sainted Mother. He saw the pictures of the saints, the altar, 
the sacred vestments, but he could not comprehend the beau- 
tiful conceptions that were carried to Uhe hearts of those who 
knew its meaning. He saw the vessels containing holy water, 
but he could not realize the sympathetic feelings of divine 
love and affection. He saw the worshipers make the sign of 
the cross, but this act of piety was to him' but the formal act 
pertaining to a peculiar ceremonial, and not in remembrance 
of Him who* suffered crucifixion. 

Thus it is regarding Protestant veneration of Catholic 
worship. They see the image of Christ, or that of the Virgin 
Mary, but beyond the seeing there is no responsive feeling. 
To them it is sculptured art representing historic characters. 



434: Christian Persecutions. 

But why, you may ask, is this so? Why are Protestants not 
responsive with feelings of love and adoration for the loved 
figures of Catholic faith? Why does the eye see and the heart 
not feel? Protestants worship Christ, then why do they not 
venerate his image? They know that the Virgin Mary was 
the mother of Jesus ; then why dO' they not honor her with all 
the veneration due this wonderful creation of God? While 
these questions may seem hard to answer, yet they can be 
easily explained. It is a- lack of teaching, of study, and of 
thbughtfulness. It is not taught to them in their infancy, in 
their boyhood, or in their manhood. They were never taught 
that the eyes should first behold before the heart could conceive 
the impressions of divine love and faith. The Catholic child is 
taught that the image of Christ is the counterpart of the 
original, not an idol of worship, but the representative of that 
Divine Teacher. He is taught to reverence it, to kneel before 
it, to kiss the crucifix, to bow the head at Angelus' bells, to 
venerate the Virgin Mary, the saints, the martyrs, and all 
those who were chosen by God to fulfill the plan of salvation. 
These children are taught to love and revere every character 
that was associated with Christ, and every person that was 
near and dear to Him on earth. 

As we love to look at the portrait of a dear friend, 
so, too, are they taught to look upon the face of the Blessed 
Virgin as the reflection of that dear Mother who gave to the 
world the Savior of man. We, who are mature in life, love 
to stand before the picture of our own mother and allow our 
thoughts to revert to the days of our boyhood, when that 
mother watched over us with care, when we went to her for 



The Virgin Mary. 435 

consolation, when we begged her to intercede for us and 
mitigate the stern demands of the father, when she labored 
for us, prayed for us, and with patient love and motherly 
affection, would lay down her life for us. Who of us can 
hold the portrait of a loved one and not feel the spirit of 
affection that always creeps into the soul as we think of the 
love that once crowned the joy of our existence? Who can say 
that such contemplations, such affection that comes to us 
through the eye, is not real? That it is not love, or reverence, 
for the dead? This being true of those who have shared our 
earthly joys and sorrows, why should not the same reverence 
and affection extend to those who have labored for us through 
the divine power of God? 

We are taught to recognize and revere the Apostles as 
models of holiness, of purity, and sacred in the history of 
the Divine purpose. We do this because they were the fol- 
lowers of Jesus, and were selected by Him to preach the 
doctrine of salvation. But how much more should we love 
the Being who gave Him birth, whose breast was His pillow, 
who nursed and clothed Him in infancy, Wiho> guided His early 
steps, who accompanied Him in His exile to Egypt, who 
abode with Him from infancy to boyhood," from boyhood to 
manhood, who constantly listened to His words of wisdom, 
who was the first to embrace Him at His birth, and the last 
to receive His dying breath on Calvary? If this nearest and 
dearest earthly association is not entitled to> our homage, our 
deepest veneration, then indeed is Christianity cold and cruel. 

The Catholic faith is not a cold and formal exposition of 
divine truth. It is full to overflowing with veneration, love, 



436 Christian Persecutions. 

and affection 1 . There is not a spot of earth where trod the 
Son of God, that is not sacred in the memory of this blessed 
religion. The manger at Bethlehem, the streets of Nazareth, 
the land of Judea, the mount of Calvary, are sacred to the 
memory of Him who gave his life that we might live. Cath- 
olics are taught to cherish these historic places as a part of 
the veneration due that holy period of our world's existence. 
As we honor the memory of Washington, and give expres- 
sion of it in a thousand ways, so do they honor, or venerate, 
the memory of Mary, the memory of the Apostle Peter, or the 
memory of the legion of martyrs who gave their lives in de- 
fense of Christian virtue, in defense of the Holy Sepulcher, 
the Bible, the Church, and the worship of God. While Prot- 
estants cannot appreciate this religious veneration, this wor- 
ship of God through His representatives of Divine love, yet 
they can understand why the tomb of Washington is sacred 
to the heart of the true American. Visit this spot of national 
reverence, and you instinctively feel that you are in the pres- 
ence of some powerful influence, some venerated association, 
and some honored dead. As you approach the sepulcher of 
this renowned chieftain, you bare your head kit solemn rever- 
ence, you cease your levity, and you bend your knee in fervent 
prayer. Why this deep respect, this worship of God, before 
the doors of the dead? Is not this idolatry? Is the grave of 
Washington more sacred than the grave of Jesus? Is the 
pile of masonry a more sublime subject of remembrance than 
the cross of crucifixion? No. But why this love of venera- 
tion towards one and its lack towards another? This is made 
clear by teaching the child. The moment the child compre- 



The Virgin Mary. 437 

hends national existence it is taught that Washington was 
the Father of his country, that he was a devoted patriot, that 
his wonderful energies made him a conquering hero, that his 
statesmanship was pure and loyal, and that he stands to-day 
consecrated in the history of the American Republic. The 
child also learns that the 22d day of February is the day of 
his birth, that the 4th of July is the birth of Independence, and 
that Mount Vernon is the resting-place of our cherished dead. 
Constantly do these remembrances arise in its mind. It hears 
the eloquence of oratory, sees the display of patriotism and 
becomes enthused with this grand demonstration of venera- 
tion. Thus the child grows to manhood, educated to revere 
Washington's memory, his work in the cause of independence, 
and his marvelous achievements under great difficulties. 

We thus manifest our admiration for our historic dead, as 
does the Catholic Church manifest its veneration for the 
Mother of Jesus. 

"Monuments and statues are erected to her. Thrice 
each day, at morn, noon, and even, the Angelus bells 
are rung to recall to our mind the Incarnation of our 
Lord, and the participation of Mary in this great mystery 
of love. Her shrines are tastefully adorned by pious hands 
and visited by devoted children, who wear her relics, or any 
object that bears her image, or which is associated with her 
name. Her natal day, and other days of the year sacred to 
her memory, are appropriately commemorated by proces- 
sions, by participation in the banquet of the Eucharist, and by 
sermons enlarging on her virtues and prerogatives. 

"As no one was ever suspected of loving his country and 



438 Christian Peesecutions. 

her (institutions less because of his revering Washington, 
so no one can reasonably suppose that our homage to God 
is diminished by our fostering reverence for Mary. As our 
object in eulogizing Washington is not so much to honor 
the man as to indicate those principles of which he was the 
champion and exponent, and to express our gratitude to God 
for the 'blessings bestowed on our country through him, even so 
our motive in commemorating Mary's name is not merely to 
praise her, but still more to keep us in perpetual remembrance 
of our Lord's Incarnation, and to show our thankfulness to 
Him for the blessings wrought through that great mystery in 
which she was so prominent a figure. Experience sufficiently 
demonstrates that the better we understand the part which 
M'ary has taken in the work of redemption, the more enlight- 
ened becomes our knowledge of our Redeemer Himself; and 
that the greater our love for her, the deeper and broader is our 
devotion to Him, while experience also testifies that our Sav- 
iour's attributes become more confused and warped in the 
mind's of a people in proportion as they ignore Mary's rela- 
tions to Him. 

"The defender of a beleaguered citadel concentrates his 
forces on the outer fortifications and towers, knowing well 
that the capture of these outworks would endanger the citadel 
itself, and that their safety involves its security. 

"Jesus Christ is the citadel of our faith, the stronghold of 
our soul's affection. Mary is called the 'Tower of David/ 
and the gate of Sion which the Lord loveth more than all the 
tabernacles of Jacob, and which He entered at His Incar- 
nation. 



The Virgin Mary. 439 

"So intimately is this living gate of Sion connected with 
Jesus, the Temple of our faith, that no one has ever assailed 
the former without invading the latter. The Xestorian 
would have Mary to be only an ordinary mother, because he 
would have Christ to be a mere man. 

"Hence, if we rush to the defense of the gate of Sion, it is 
because we are more zealous for the city of God. If we stand 
as sentinels around the tower of David, it is because we are 
more earnest in protecting Jerusalem from invasion. If we 
forbid profane hands to touch the ark of the covenant, it is 
because we are anxious to guard from profanation the Lord 
of the ark. If we are so solicitous about Mary's honor, it is 
because 'the love of Christ presseth us. If we will not per- 
mit a single wreath to be snatched from her fair brow, it is 
because we are unwilling that a single feature of Christ's 
sacred humanity should be obscured, and because we wish that 
He should ever shine forth in all the splendor of His glory, 
and clothed in all the panoply of His perfection.'' 

The above, showing why Catholics venerate the Virgin 
Mary, was taken from the "Faith of Our Fathers," by Cardi- 
nal Gibbons, and expresses beautifully the reasons for their 
love and veneration. By using his words, we are enabled to 
more clearly set forth that what many Protestants call wor- 
ship is merely cold formality. They have never studied the 
strength and cause of this Catholic love, and are ignorant of 
its meaning. They see only outward representations, and 
cannot comprehend the holy love they feel for Christ and his 
Sainted Mother. Like the Xestorians, they look upon Mary 
as an ordinarv woman, but differ as to the divine origin of 



440 Christian Persecutions. 

Christ. While they look upon the Savior as the source of our 
Christianity, our faith, and our salvation, yet they carelessly 
pass this Mother by as being a character merely of pleasing 
remembrance, but not of any special nearness to< God. They 
do not call her blessed, for they were never taught what that 
means. They even doubt the purity of her life and the name 
she bears. They say that the birth of Christ, as understood, 
is inconsistent with nature, that it is not a reasonable conclu- 
sion, nor is it at all probable. Here let me say to my 
Protestant friends: If you doubt that Mary was a virgin of 
divine origin, that she knew no defilement, no sin, no unholy 
thought or action, then you may doubt the divinity of Christ, 
the miracles of God, and the existence of immortality. Analyze 
the purposes of God, and you will find that Christ could not 
exist in sin, with sin, or come from sin. That as He was 
pure and holy, so, too, must His germ of existence be pure 
anld holy. To be otherwise would be an impossibility, and a 
contradiction of divine law. As like begets like, as nature 
is true to nature, and as finite is finite, and infinite is infinite, 
so too must Christ, who is pure, holy, and Infinite, be con- 
ceived by the same elements of purity of which He is, He 
has been, and ever will be. To doubt for a moment this 
purity of conception, is to cast an element of sin into the exist- 
ence of God. You believe that Christ came into the world 
pure and holy. You believe in the miracles He performed, the 
lessons He taught, the persecution, the betrayal, the crucifix- 
ion, and the resurrection. You believe He left the gospel of 
repentance for all Christianity, and salvation for all men. 
Then why close the gates to your belief in this most important 



The Virgin Mary. 441 

of all the miracles of God? What was feeding the multitude, 
relieving the afflicted, or even the raising of the dead, when 
compared with the divine necessity of a perfect origin? Those 
testimonies of God's power on earth are as nothing when com- 
pared to the impossible -existence of an imperfect Infinity. 

It is from this standpoint, therefore, that we must judge the 
jealous love of the Catholics for their religion. They see the 
nakedness of suspicion, and the impossible existence of an In- 
finite Being of finite origin. They see that to love and venerate 
Mary is but a part of their sublime faith in the everlasting truths 
of God. As they bless the day that Christ came into the world, 
so do they bless the Mother who gave this God gift to man. 
The one they worship, the other they love, venerate, and 
honor. Christ is the hope of immortality, and Mary the 
blessed origin of the child Jesus. 

Protestants seem to imagine that Catholics worship the 
Virgin Mary; that because of their love and veneration for 
her, she is the object of their adoration; that because they 
kneel before her shrine they lose sight of God, and their wor- 
ship becomes individual, and not that which should be directed 
to the Divinity. They seem to think that it is a species of idol- 
atry, that God must be displeased, that He is robbed of a 
part of the glory due Him, that it is making of Mary a divine 
being, an object of worship, and thus we become guilty of a 
violation of the commandments of God. They seem to feel 
grieved at this lack of wisdom, this lack of understanding, 
and think Catholics should be pitied for their ignorance. The 
truth is, Protestants know nothing of the deep, loving grati- 
tude that every Catholic feels for the Mother of Jesus, and 

(29) 



442 Christian Persecutions. 

as they kneel in supplication before the Throne of Grace, 
they can see no higher form of homage, no stronger evidence 
of filial affection, no more devout form of worship, than to 
pray in the presence of an image, or a picture, of the Sainted 
Virgin. Are Protestants so blind as to imagine that Catholics 
cannot distinguish the relationship that exists between the 
picture of Mary, or the picture of Jesus, and the originals? 
Can they believe that Catholics pray to these images and not 
to the God who is behind them? 

When individuals say it is mockery, or an act of unholy 
piety, to venerate Mary, to kiss the lips of her portrait, or to 
bless her, they are totally ignorant of the thoughts and 
motives of those who love to worship God, and to testify by 
their acts their unbounded gratitude to Him. While Prot- 
estants may believe that these acts of affection are but reg- 
ular requirements prescribed by rule, they have no evidence 
except that which their own coldness and their own teachings 
furnishes. Because they have no desire to venerate the 
Mother of Jesus, they can neither see nor feel any affection in 
the acts of others. As the Atheist says that there is no God, 
so did the Reformers — and all Protestantism sprang from the 
Reformation — declare that to venerate Mary is to worship at 
the displeasure of God. As they were taught this, so have 
they practiced this cold and inhuman conduct. It is not 
natural to be cold and formal while in the presence of purity 
and loveliness. No being can deny the beauties of nature 
and art. We were created to love all things beautiful and 
we cannot demy it. We may fail to see the grandeur of divine 
beauties unless taught how to appreciate them. We may not 



The Virgin Mary. 443 

understand that the mind is the camera of our existence, the 
origin of inspiration, the power of passion, the inclination 
for evil, or the source of good. But so it is. By it we rise 
or fall, by it we have faith or distrust, by it we love or hate, 
and as we receive the instructions of others so do we transmit 
them to those we love and cherish. Teach your boy that 
the Blessed Virgin Mary was only a woman, and he will 
grow to manhood devoid of affection for her; but teach him 
that she was a Sainted Mother, remind him of this great con- 
nection between God and man, and whenever he stands before 
her image, or her picture, he will renew his affection, his 
homage, and his veneration. 

We visit an art gallery and gaze with delight and admira- 
tion on the beautiful works of art. We praise their loveliness, 
their beauties of conception, their perfection, and wonder 
how the brush, or chisel, can transform the barren canvas, or 
the cold marble, into the vision of a seeming reality. In 
praising these beautiful pictures, do you dishonor the artist 
who wrought them? Does not all the praise which you bestow 
belong to the one who fashioned these beauties? If the artist 
should overhear your exclamations of joy, would he frown 
with displeasure? But utter a remark of contempt, of unjust 
criticism, or of ignorant disapproval, and a blaze of indigna- 
tion bursts from his eyes. While he may not retort with 
words, yet he scorns your presence and spurns you as he 
would an adder. It is no longer a pleasure for him to dis- 
play to you his treasures. You trampled upon the tender 
feelings of his affection, and you may never regain his con- 
fidence. 



444 Christian Persecutions. 

Again, you examine some intricate and perfect mechan- 
ism, you declare it is a wonderful invention, a blessing to 
mankind, and the work of a master mind. Do you dishonor 
the inventor by these words of praise? Are your exclama- 
tions of appreciation distressful to him? Is he not grateful 
for your approval and your interest in him? But belittle the 
grandeur of his achievements, and what have you done? Tell 
him you distrust his wisdom wfhen you can see its perfect 
work, and he will distrust your reason, your power of under- 
standing, and to him you are as nothing — a mere speck of 
infidelity and ignorance, a being dead to the world of 
progress. And is he not right? You saw his work. It was 
perfect. Millions clapped their hands in their appreciation of 
his victory. You, alone, stand there doubting, and yet you 
see its work, its marvelous power, and its perfect construc- 
tion. 

Again, you visit a man who is proud of his mother, who 
loves her, who sees only perfection in her every act, who 
labors for her, and would protect her in all the storms of life. 
You say to the man, what a lovely mother you have; she 
seems so pure, so angelic, so devoted. Would not a blush 
of happiness suffuse his cheek? Would he not clasp your 
hand in joy and affection? But instead you say, I would like 
to visit with you, but your mother is distasteful to me; will 
you have her leave the room? Can you imagine the result? 
As he loves nis mother, so 1 will he hate you; and in the pas- 
sion of an aroused nature he will say, Depart from me; you 
have disgraced my presence by blaspheming against my 
mother, I will not harbor your presence, and may curses 
follow your footsteps. 



The Virgin Mary. 445 

What is your verdict? You all exclaim that the visitor 
was a poor, ignorant, debased being, and not worthy a place 
in Christian society. He had lost his manhood by insulting 
the son in his own home. This is exactly the condition of 
Protestants in their relations with the Virgin Mary. While 
they may not ask that she shall be cast aside, yet she is 
ignored as being specially favored of God. She gave birth 
to Jesus, but not as a special dispensation of Divine Power. 
To them there is no stronger connection than the relation of 
birth. The divinity of Christ had not made sacred the vessel 
of His conception. His Incarnation had cast no luster over 
His Sainted Mother. It was Christ, and Christ alone, whom 
they honor, venerate, and worship. Mark the contrast. With 
Catholics Mary is the beautiful work of art, the perfect 
mechanism, and the idolized mother. In praising this perfect 
work of God, and in kneeling in reverence before her, you but 
receive the blessings of Him who sees it and blesses you for 
it, and the more you honor her the greater pleasure you find 
in the sight of God. Mary is his handiwork, his model of 
perfection, and the means by which Jesus came into the world. 
To praise and love His work is to praise and honor Him. 
You cannot call her too beautiful, too perfect, or too worthy. 
You cannot honor her too often, nor can you displease God 
in any of your acts of veneration. She is Jesus' Mother, and 
to kneel to her, to invoke her intercession, is but to please 
Christ in your homage and filial affection. He sees the act 
of love and gratitude and feels that it is to Him you render 
praise. 

The love of the devout Catholic is so great for Mary that 



446 Chkistian Peksecutions. 

not a temple or chapel, how rude soever it may be, but is 
adorned with a painting or a statue of the Madonna. There 
is no house that is not embellished with an image of Mary, 
and no Catholic child is a stranger to her familiar face. 

"The priest and the layman, the scholar and the illiterate, 
the prince and the peasant, the mother and the maid, ac- 
knowledge her benign sway/' 

"And if Christianity is so fruitful in comparison with 
paganism, in conjugal fidelity, in female purity, and in respect 
paid to womanhood, these blessings are in no small measure 
due to the force of Mary's all-pervading influence and exam- 
ple. Ever since the Son of God chose a woman to be His 
mother, man looks up to woman with a homage akin to 
veneration.'' 

The chief reason given why Protestants are so lukewarm 
in their praises of the mother of Jesus, is that they were never 
educated to revere her. But why were they not so educated? 
Why were they not taught to see her as she was and as she 
is? Why were they not taught to study her character, the 
purity of her life, her relationship to God, and the beautiful 
example she set for us to imitate? These reasons are easily 
answered, and although Protestants may seek to deny the 
charge, yet it is true and must be accepted as the only solution 
of this seeming cold and almost cruel neglect Which is charged 
against them by the Catholics. It is because the. practice of 
veneration is Catholic. The sacrifice of the Mass, an(d these 
acts of piety, date from the beginning of Christianity. They 
have ever honored and venerated the Virgin Mary. For fif- 
teen hundred years the whole Christian world bowed before 



The Virgin Mary. 447 

the Mother of Jesus. As the Catholic cherishes the crucifix 
as the emblem of martyred faith, so too, does he cherish the 
remembrance of Mary as the origin of the Incarnation of 
our Savior. The one represents life and birth, the other faith 
and death. These two sacred periods of existence receive the 
strongest veneration known to the Catholic faith. The picture 
of the Sainted Mother fills the heart with love and affection, 
while the cross is that deeper feeling which stirs the soul in 
its adoration of God. Deny these cherished representatives 
of life and death, and you destroy the beauties of the Catholic 
worship of God. Deny the cross of crucifixion, and you deny 
Jesus Christ, who surrendered His life for the salvation of 
man. Deny tne Virgin Mary, and you deny his existence as 
the Son of God. 

Again I say to my Protestant friends, the practice is Cath- 
olic, and you- have inherited the antagonistic doctrine of the 
Reformation. Is it not true that you do' not teach your chil- 
dren that the Mother of Jesus was pure, holy, and without sin? 
Why have you never taught this? Is it not because it is 
Catholic? Because it is a part of the Catholic faith? Because 
in the great struggle of Reformation you sought a separate 
and distinct doctrine of Christianity? Is it not true that it has 
ever been the aim of Protestantism to go as far from the 
Catholic practice as possible? You recognize Christ because 
you could not be Christians if you did not. You believe Him 
to be the Son of God, the great source of salvation, and the 
Infinite Man. You believe the Bible is a book of inspirations, 
that it is the Divine Truth, and the Word of God. As you 
believe these things, then why do you ignore the study of the 



448 Christian Persecutions. 

character of Mary? You write volumes on the life of Christ, 
but scarcely mention the name of His Mother, and yet this 
Blessed Being was almost constantly with him from the 
cradle to the crucifixion. She consoled him during the 
agonizing moments on Calvary, and she ran to his sepulcher 
on the morn of his resurrection. Why then have you cast 
her aside as only a woman and a mother? Is it nothing to 
be the earthly mother of such a being as Jesus? Is she not 
entitled to all the veneration that it is possible for your soul 
to give? Can you honor her without honoring Him? Can 
you love Him less by clasping her to your heart? No, these 
things are impossible. Catholics love the Sainted Mother 
because she was the chosen instrument of God to bless the 
world through the birth of Jesus. Now, is it not your duty 
to honor and love her? She has earned your affections, and 
were you to kneel before her shrine at morn, noon, and even, 
you could never praise God more sweetly, more fervently, 
nor more purely. If God blessed her, and through His divine 
power she became the instrument of salvation by the birth 
of Jesus, we need have no hesitation in pressing our lips to 
her brow, in loving her devotion to God, in revering her purity 
of character, and im praising God for this knowledge of His 
divine power. 

It is not necessary for me to quote any particular passage 
of Scripture to prove the divine right to love and venerate 
the Virgin Mary. I will only ask you to read for yourself. 
You need not search diligently, for if you will but read you 
will find constantly recurring evidence of this miracle of God. 
You will find that, besides being a woman and a mother, she 



The Virgin Mary. 449 

was holy and pure, that she was sanctified for the purpose of 
the Incarnation of our Lord, and as such, she must have 
been, and is to-day, the most sainted soul in all the treasures 
of heaven. How, then, can you say, "I love my Redeemer," 
and not in the same breath bless the mother who bore him? 
As Christ came into the world to teach men how to live, how 
to worship, and how to die, so, too, was Mary the great ex- 
emplar of Christian virtues, and in her sainted life she ever 
stands as a perfect model for the followers of all mankind. 

The Catholic Church ever holds up for the contemplation 
of her children, the beautiful portrait of the Virgin Mary. 
They are taught to study it, that they may thereby the better 
admire the original, and by admiring they may love, and 
loving, they may imitate, and thus become more dear to God 
by being made "comfortable in the image of His Son," of 
whom Mary is the most perfect mirror. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

SISTERS OF CHARITY. 

J\ /I Y friends, did you ever stop to consider the mission of 
the Sisters of Charity? Did you ever stop to investi- 
gate the marvelous organization of this institution, its almost 
universal presence among the poor and afflicted, the consecra- 
tion of womanhood to the relief of distress, and her wonderful 
devotion to the true principles of human kindness? If you 
-have never seriously thought of who and what they are, I 
most earnestly ask you to follow me for a few moments, until 
we have uncovered some of these deeds of charity, some of the 
modest achievements of this band of silent and yet devoted 
followers of Christian love, of gracious deeds of relief, and of 
their zealous piety and devotion. 

Sisters of Charity. Do you know them? You do, and yet 
you do not. You know them from the history of what the 
world has been pleased to describe unto you. You have read 
of their devotion to the relief of human suffering and of human 
poverty. You read the almost constantly recurring report of 
some good Sister Samaritan who appears on the scene of 
necessity, and as a matter of fact, performs the work of the 
emergency, and then disappears with the same silent unob- 
servation as was manifested in her coming. This history is so 
familiar to you that not even curiosity prompts you to 
wonder who gave this relief and What is the real motive that 
prompts its execution. This is about all that you know. You 

450 



Sisters of Chaeity. 451 

have seen and heard, and yet you did not realize what a sweet 
messenger of love had ministered to the wants of distress. 

She came and she went, having left the beautiful impress 
of her charity and her devotion. The afflicted felt the pure 
touch of her fidelity to Christian virtue, but the world was 
ignorant of this -noblest of all noble deeds — the gift of relief 
without money and without price. In her coming there was 
no announcement of one who had earned the public acclama- 
tions of merit and renown. There had been no recognition of 
brilliant achievements, no approval of the mental victory in 
the attainment of science, no kingly honor because of fame 
and ambition, and no crown of glory to be given by a proud 
and grateful populace. In her coming there was no earthly 
reward but the glad heart of the afflicted, and no ambition to 
satisly except the ambition to do God's will in the relief of a 
poor, distressed humanity. She came as a duty, to lift the 
burdens of despair, to soothe the last moments of the dying, 
to care for the orphans, to make a home for the homeless, to 
encourage, to inspire, to hope, to love, to point out the paths 
of virtue, and to save from perdition the soul of a mortal being. 

The ambition of the world is to produce some great institu- 
tion of amazement, and not the simplicity of meekness. If it 
is charity, it must be on such a scale as to excite the approba- 
tion and applause of a people. But to bear the cup of relief 
with the silent step of an unheralded mission, is to the world 
a lost fragrance, an ignored and unknown virtue, and a 
blessedness of character that is not appreciated only by those 
who feel the tender devotion of this Christ-like manifestation 
of a true Angel of Mercy. Not only are they not appreciated 



452 Christian Persecutions. 

by the giddy fashion of inconsistency, but because there is no 
pomp nor glory in these ministrations of good, because they 
have surrendered the ties that bound them to home, to for- 
tune, and to worldly pleasure, and because they have dedicated 
their lives (to the service of affliction. For these reasons of 
voluntary action of worthiness, and because the world was 
not consulted as to when, how, and why, they must therefore 
point the finger of scorn, ridicule the motive of the one who 
gives this sacrifice, and actually defame the spirit of noble 
womanhood in their acts of Christian charity. 

For shame, brothers, to harbor for even one moment the 
suspicion of one thought of unlholy devotion. In your 
thoughtless observances you unconsciously fall into the pit 
of ignorance. Whenever you drop a word of disbelief, of re- 
proach to fidelity, of purity of character, of honest motives, you 
are defaming the worthiest inspirations of good that have ever 
animated the heart of woman. Because no one rises up to 
defend them from your sneer, from the loose jest of your 
sarcasm, do not think they are beneath the nobleness of your 
own mother, your own sister, your own wife, or your own 
daughter. Remember that the hand that is stretched 1 out in the 
cause of humaln kindness is a woman's who, in the nobleness 
of a true heart, gives her life for the benefit of others. In all 
the realms of duty, is there a consecration so grand and beau- 
tiful : n its purity of conception as this? Can you paint a pic- 
ture so full of the grandeur of devotion as is this? 

You are selfish. You see the world in all the brilliant dis- 
play of fashion and beauty. You believe that the sole sphere 
of woman is to be the butterfly of vanity, or the slave to cir- 



Sisters of Charity. 453 

cumstances. In your health and happiness you turn aside 
from the wants of the need) 7 , the afflicted, and those who are 
sorely distressed. To you there is but one field of labor, and 
that wherein you can best earn the pleasures of existence and 
avoid the harroiwing scenes of misery and want. You have 
no care for the millions of God's creatures who are daily suf- 
fering from disease, from poverty, and from the evils of a 
misspent life. You say that, as it is the result of their own 
sin, they have earned their misery; that it is but the just 
deserts of the disobedience of law. You have no patience, no 
humanity, no feelings of pity, and no sorrow for these penalties 
of disobedience. You have lived your life in the strict observ- 
ance of a moral, and as the world says, an honorable manhood, 
and because of your morality, you spurn from your doorsteps 
those who have fallen. 

If this was all, if you had denied only those who were 
seeking the gifts of your charity, you might stand higher in 
the scales of human justice, but the sin of injustice is worse, 
a thousandfold worse, when you curl your lip in scorn as you 
notice that the good Samaritan did not turn from the stranger 
and pass on the other side, who was not so absorbed in the. 
mad scramble of life that he could not administer to the 
afflicted, who did not upbraid him for his sins and, like your- 
self, spurn him from the wayside. You see this good Samari- 
tan, this Sister of Charity, alleviate his misfortunes and press 
to his parched lips the draught of kindness. You see her do 
this and more. You see her seek to restore his manhood, to 
teach him repentance, and yet you toss your head in scorn, 
you attribute some unholy unworthiness to these faithful crea- 



454 Christian Persecutions. 

tures who, to do the work of Christ, whom you profess to 
worship, come in the same lowly garb of meekness as did the 
Saviour of Bethlehem. 

Now, my friends, let me ask you, Why have you done this? 
Why do you attribute any other motive than that which you 
see in these noble acts of Christian charity? Have you ever 
seen an act, or heard a word spoken, that would betray even 
the suspicion of a cause for your ingratitude? Have you ever 
heard from any reliable authority or by any authority what- 
ever, that these Samaritans are not the purest in character, the 
sweetest in benevolence, the most womanly, and the most 
Christian of all women in existence? Have you any reason 
whatever, except that derived from idle slander, for not weigh- 
ing out to them the full measure of their worth? Have you 
formed any reasonable excuse for not honoring them for the 
chosen field of their usefulness? Can you believe in your heart 
that such creatures can harbor even the shadow of shame, of 
remorse, or of infidelity to their womanhood? 

But you do not base your judgment upon the real acts of 
existence. You hear the preposterous slanders coming from 
the polluted sources of such notorious impostors as Maria 
Monks and then say, see what a woman says against woman. 
Such characters are not worthy even the silent contempt of an 
honest man or woman, and I ask you to consider the history 
of these polluted creatures who rise up to defame the hands 
who seek to restore womanhood even in its debased shame. 

Had there been no sin, no depravity, no missteps in life, 
no unfortunate poor, there would have been no call for the 
mission of charity. They are not there for the pleasures of 



Sisters of Charity. 455 

earth, or the pleasures of existence, except as their benevo- 
lence gives to them the love of consecrated duty to bring 
relief, and the love of being the instrument of God to raise 
man from the depravity of misery and want. Theirs is a con- 
scientious duty to dedicate their powers of existence to the 
sweet and sublime efforts of relieving distress, of comforting 
the desolate, and whispering the words of peace and consola- 
tion. 

Mark the contrast. You encourage vice and poverty by 
not placing your hand against the stream of social crime that 
feeds it. They expose their lives in battling with that which 
you cross to the other side to avoid. They take from their 
basket of poverty the last crust to feed the destitute, while you 
spurn from your door the unfortunate poor, just as did the 
rich man deny the crumbs of his table to Lazarus. They will 
seek to raise the fallen, although he may be the most despised 
wretch in existence, but you fear to soil ypur 'Clothes in a con- 
tact with vice and misery. They will enter the dens of infamy, 
and as they stop to stanch the flow of blood from an unfor- 
tunate victim, a hush falls upon those present, vice for a mo- 
ment is forgotten, the presence of purity is a strength greater 
than isin, and as this Sister becomes a ministering angel, there 
will be no depth of infamy that will miock at 'her efforts, or will 
whisper her name in any connection except as it blesses and 
reverences the being that is before them. The idle tongue of 
jest is silenced, the thought of mother and sister comes back 
to them in all the force oi a sweet recollection. That woman, 
that Sister is safe in that den of infamy, and were you, sir, to 
enter and cast one word of reproach, a syllable of slander, 



456 Christian Persecutions. 

or an unchristian sentiment of baseness, those men, who have 
drank the cup of disgrace, of immorality, and of crime, will 
rise up in the defense of her whom you seek to dishonor. 

Why, may I ask, does this unappreciative world not praise 
these deeds of noble doing? Why are these silent Sisters of 
Mercy, these true Samaritans, these devoted followers of 
Christ, cast in the background of forgetfulness? I will tell 
you why. It is from prejudice and not from any foundation 
of cause. You do not feel the inspiration of this mission; you' 
do not conceive the holy duty that should inspire all men in 
the elevation of truth and honor; you do not understand the 
true sentiments of Christianity. These things are beyond 
your realization of duty and justice, and as you are floundering 
in the slough of ignorance, you ascribe a motive that is not 
pure and holy. You have never studied this sacrifice; you 
cannot understand how it is possible to consecrate the pure life 
of woman to the relief of humanity. You may see how man 
may spring to the service of his country, how he may imperil 
his life to rescue the fire-caught victim or the shipwrecked 
mariners, but you do not consider that this same spirit may 
actuate woman, and by it she may ignore the pleasures of life, 
and seek at all times to aid in the relief of poor, distressed 
humanity. It requires no more courage or sacrifice for you 
to obey the order to charge, than it does for her to bind up the 
wounds of the bleeding soldier,. to soothe the delirium of fever, 
or to nurse back to life the shattered form of chivalry. While 
the world is ever ready to cheer you on, to welcome you, to 
ring the praises of heroism from shore to shore and from con- 
tinent to continent, yet they are silent to the just dues of her 



Sisters of Chakity. 457 

who follows in the footsteps of war, of bloodshed, and of dis- 
ease. 

But what is this prejudice, this lack of appreciation due 
these noble Sisters? Is it not because they are Catholic? 
Have you not been taught in your infancy, in your boyhood, 
in your manhood, that there is and ought to be a prejudice? 
Have you not been shown what exists in imagination and not 
in reality? Were you not taught from the Reform opposition 
of the sixteenth century, or from the rebellion of Henry VIII? 
Were you not raised in a condition of semi-unbelief; that there 
is a secret undercurrent in the Catholic Church that is not 
Christian; that the motives of relief are not a sincere desire 
to be what it represents, that, after all, there may be a fountain 
of iniquity we know not of? 

You seek to deny that it is because it is Catholic, but there 
is, and there can be, no other reason. Your prejudice has 
made it so. You have inherited it from your ancestors. You 
may not be to blame for what was born in your constitution, 
but you are to blame for not being consistent, for not investi- 
gating, for not looking upon the other side. You see the 
noblest virtue of womanhood dedicated to the mission of 
charity, then why not love her for this devotion? You do not 
obtain this statement from hearsay; you see it in every walk 
of life, and in every form of poverty and misery. You worship 
Jesus because of His glorious promises of salvation. You see 
Him going about curing the sick and afflicted, the maimed and 
the blind. You see Him teaching humility, admonishing the 
wicked to go and sin no more, to do unto others as you would 
ihat others should do unto you. You see the poverty of life, 

(30) 



458 Christian Persecutions. 

His desire to raise up those who have fallen, His willingness 
and desire to assist the needy, to< relieve the lowest depths of 
misery, and to teach Christianity to all men. You worship 
God for His manifestation of love, but when woman seeks to 
emulate our Saviour you ascribe to her a motive, the nature of 
which, and its utterance, ought to be beneath the dignity of a 
man, or a rational human being. 

Read the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew and you need no 
further evidence of the great responsibility and duty that is 
imposed upon all of us. 

"Then shall the King say unto' them on his right hand, 
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 
for you from the foundation of the world : 

"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was 
thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took 
me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: 
I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when 
saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave 
thee drink? When saw Ave thee a stranger, and took itbee in? or 
naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in 
prison, and came unto thee? 

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I 
say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the 
least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me." 

Here we have the divine promise of God, that as we "have 
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have 
done it unto Me." Likewise we find in the same chapter that if 
we deny those who are an hungered, or thirsty, or a stranger, 



Sisters of Charity. 459 

or naked, or sick, or in prison, then we deny Christ, and he 
says; "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels/' 

Before proceeding further in this discussion, let us examine 
this Society, which the world knows so much of and yet fails 
to appreciate. 

The origin of the Daughters of Charity, or as afterwards 
called, Sister of Charity, dates back to 1630, when Vincent de 
Paul, who, seeing the necessity of a perfect organization for 
the dispensation of charity, instituted this Society, which has 
grown and spread its branches into every city of earth. 

But some of you may ask, who was Vincent de Paul? 
Read the record of his works, the history of his life, and you 
will find in him one of the noblest Christians that the world 
has ever produced. His record of good works places him as 
one of the most benevolent, the most earnest in the relief of 
mankind from the enthrallment of sin and poverty, the purest 
in character, the most devoted to truth, piety, and manhood, 
the most remarkable in learning, in organization of forces, and 
in the spreading of the true gospel of Christianity. Of all the 
men that have blessed the world for being in it, none can show 
a record of greater worth, of purer principles of conception, or 
of grander attainments for good, than Vincent de Paul. His 
was a life of the most devoted consecration, of the loftiest 
deeds of benevolence, of the grandest Christian devotion, and 
the sweetest love for the ministrations of kindness, of filial 
affection to all mankind, and to the practical demonstrations of 
true Charity. 

This great man was induced to undertake the organization 



460 Christian Persecutions. 

of charity by a simple incident which occurred in 1627. As he 
was ascending the pulpit to preach, a lady approached him and . 
asked that he should remember to his congregation the pov- 
erty of a very worthy family who was living a league distant. 
The thought of poverty, in the midst of plenty, touched his 
heart with sympathy and in his plea for relief he so wrought 
upon his congregation that many journeyed through the in- 
tense heat of the day to render aid to the distressed family. 
Vincent was much surprised at this spontaneous willingness 
to confer benefits, but at the same time he saw that charity 
without a shepherd could not be dispensed with economy and 
satisfaction, therefore he brought into an organization a band 
of willing workers who, under the name of Daughters of 
Charity, laid the foundation of this wonderful society that has 
for more than a century encircled the earth. 

Vincent entrusted the supervision of this organization to 
Mile. Le Gras, a devout and enthusiastic lady. TMs work, 
which was so humble in its origin but great in its conse- 
quences, was eagerly sought after because of its beautiful 
Christian force in the world of charity. While Vincent wished 
to avoid the praises of a grateful and appreciative people, yet 
his modesty, his silent ministrations of good, only made him 
more lovable and more to be admired. 

But we will not discuss the wonderful development of the 
Sisters of Charity, as it took root in aill Europe, in Asia, in 
Africa, in America, in the Islands of the Pacific, and wherever 
Christianity was being taught by the brave missionaries of the 
Church. On the field of battle, where the presence of woman 
had never before appeared, there stood this noble order ready 



Sisters of Charity. 461 

to receive the last message of the dying and to relieve the un- 
fortunate fallen. In . (hospitals, in fever-stricken localities, 
where there was cholera, the plague, or wherever disease, war, 
or affliction was raging, there were sent these Angels of Mercy. 

Volumes have been written, and volumes more may be 
published, explaining the sacrifice of life, the privations, the 
willing desire to obey the call of duty, the tender ministrations 
of love, or the complete surrender of self to< the wants of others, 
and yet there has not, nor can there be expressed the full 
measure of that debt which the world owes this unappreciated 
order of Charity. 

So extensive had become the work of these Sisters that it 
was decided best to place the organization in the United States 
under a home government, consequently in 1800 there was 
established at Emmetsburg, Maryland, a motherhouse, which 
was to govern all the other houses in the United States, but to 
look to Paris, the central head, for its general instruction. 

Thus established, has the mission of these Sisters become 
more and more widespread as the wants of distress have 
demanded greater assistance. In all the prominent cities on 
this continent do we find the evidences of their labor and their 
devotion, by the magnificent erection of schools, hospitals, 
asylums, homes, and other institutions to aid the relief of 
poverty and affliction. 

In order to show to our readers what these organizations 
are doing, I visited the Sisters of Charity in Milwaukee, Wis., 
and there obtained a list of benevolent institutions which are 
located in that city, and which is but a counterpart of what 
exists in every city of equal population. While these works 



462 Christian Persecutions. 

are not all instituted by the Sisters of Charity, yet they are the 
societies of women with the same objects in view and the same 
holy purpose to serve, the true objects of Christianity. 

I will briefly enumerate these societies and their objects 
and attendance: 

SCHOOL FOR YOUNG GIRLS. 
Number in attendance, 369. 
10 Sisters of Charity for instruction. 

SCHOOL FOR BOYS. 

Number in attendance, 371. 

II Sisters for instruction, 

ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL. 

Average number of patients, 80. 
Cared for during the year, 658. 
Number of Sisters of Charity, 10. 
Training school for nurses with 14 pupils. 

ST. ROSE'S FEMALE ORPHAN ASYLUM. 
Number of orphans, 130. 
Number of Sisters, 9. 

ST. VINCENT'S INFANT ASYLUM. 

Number of infants, 271. 

Number of Sisters, 8. 
OUR LADY OF ANGELS ACADEMY. 

Number of young ladies, 86. 

Number of Sisters, 9. 
SACRED HEART SANITARIUM. 

A water-cure Hospital. 

Annual number of patients, 600. 



Sisters of Charity. 463 

ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL. 

Average number of patients, 55. 
Number during the year, 455. 
Number of Franciscan Sisters, 20. 

ST. .-EMELIANUS' MALE ORPHAN ASYLUM AND BOYS' 

HOME. 

Number of orphans, 157. 

Number in Boys' Home, 37. 

Number of Sisters of St. Francis of Assisium, 16. 
GIRLS' HOME. 

Number not obtained. 

This Home is under the care of the Sisters of Mercy. 

LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR. 
Number of inmates, 170. 

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL OF OUR LADY OF CHARITY OF 
THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 
Industrial School, 78. 
Reservation Class, 45. 
Reformatory, 85. 

ST. MARY'S CONVENT. 

11 Sisters of the Society of the Divine 1 Saviour. 
These Sisters attend to the sick in their own homes. 

What can you say of this noble array of these institutions of 
benevolence? Who can read of tihe wonderful deeds of in- 
dividual sacrifice and then say there is no depth of purity of 
purpose in all this wide expanse of charity? And yet this is 
but a grain of sand in the monument of doing that stands to 
the credit of these Sisters of a true Christianity. Not alone are 
their hospitals, asylums, homes, and institutions of relief found 



464 Chkistian Persecutions. 

in Milwaukee, but they are scattered through all the nations of 
earth. Wlberever we find the worship of God there we find the 
influence of some good Sister Samaritan, who is seeking to 
alleviate distress, to advance due welfare of mankind, and to 
build up the religion of Him who siaid: "Inasmuch as ye have 
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done 
it unto Me." 

Now, my friends, we have attempted to show you some- 
thing of this most interesting of all important institutions. 
You have learned that it was conceived in the simplest of all 
beginnings, that from the one act of charity in 1627 the whole 
world was made to feel this wonderful influence, and while it 
is impossible for me to give an adequate history of the millions 
of blessings which have been bestowed by these devoted Sis- 
ters, yet I can thank God for the inspiration that prompted Vin- 
cent de Paul to organize woman's sympathy, woman's sacrifice, 
and woman's filial devotion to the poverty-stricken poor, to 
the unfortunate victims of disease, of suffering, and of the 
grand spectacle of elevating mankind from sin and the depths of 
infamy. Can you fonm in your mind a sweeter picture, a more 
blessed representation of human love, than these silent, lowly, 
and never-ceasing scenes of charity? And yet there are those, 
who pretend to be Christian, who will raise that double-headed 
monster, slander, and allow it to strike its fangs deep into the 
quivering flesh of innocence, and them gloat over its brutal 
acts of villainy. If there is a hell to torment the souls of those 
accursed defamers, if it could burn witih an unending torture, 
such punishment would not be too severe as a just sentence for 
this unholy blasphemy against these devoted Sisters. 



Sisteks of Charity. 465 

If this simple chapter will be the means of allaying some of 
this intemperate and inconsistent prejudice, and above all, if 
it will still that monstrous tongue of scandal, of mockery, of 
falsehood, of vulgar insinuations of indecency, and of lowest 
cunning, then I shall feel that I have not written in vain. 

Once I was just as ignorant of the blessings of these minis- 
trations of love and affection as are you. Once I did not ap- 
preciate their holy calling, but I am proud to say that there is 
one sin I s'hall never be called upon to answer for, and that 
is the sin of disrespect, of unmanly speech, of infamous con- 
duct, of vile utterances of jest and ridicule, or the insinuation 
of a debased shame. And now, if I can be the means of creat- 
ing study and reflection, then will the veil of prejudice be 
raised and the nobleness of character will shine forth in all 
its brilliant splendor, and these gracious deeds, Which God has 
been pleased to bestow upon mankind, will rise up and bless 
the hand that guides them, and will become an honor in the 
unfolding of Christian virtues. 

Before closing this short testimony of What we see and 
know, I wish to uncover one more jewel in this wreath of ever- 
lasting flowers, and this is the jewel of poverty. The rich, the 
poor, the lowly, and the great, are all placed upon the same 
plane of human kindness. The poorest beggar will receive the 
same tender treatment as the count of honor. There are no 
distinctions in station or society, no decree against unworthi- 
ness, and no respecter of persons. If it is an enemy in afflic- 
tion, they will soothe the brow of distress, bind up the wounds 
of misfortune, and watch the ebbing life of disease. 

It is dharity in its fullest and deepest meaning. There is no 



466 Christian Persecutions. 

pretense except that of the strictest observance of duty. They 
seek to honor Jesus in their mission of love, and as they scatter 
the deeds of loyalty they become the true Samaritans of old, 
the Angels oif Mercy, and the true Sisters of Charity. 

In this chapter I have, mentioned the Sisters of Charity as 
a special society, and have given them prominence over all 
others, not because 'they are more worthy than other orders of 
Sisters, but to follow one branch with a particular name, giving 
its origin and mission. To the Protestant world the Sisters of 
Charity mean all who have consecrated their lives to the 
service of God and the relief of humanity. 

Were we to select an order with the greatest number of 
commendable virtues, it is probably safe to say that the '"'Little 
Sisters of the Poor" rank in patient humility and unrequited 
love and honor with any, or all of the others. These Sisters 
do not have even the pleasure of seeing the infant develop 
into childhood, or the sick and the maimed restored to health 
and manhood, but theirs is to watch and guard the old and 
feeble outcasts of society. A class of people without home 
or friends, a class who have lived beyond the usefulness in life, 
who are childish in spirit, uncongenial in manners, and who 
are helpless, irritable, uncouth, disagreeable; in fact, just that 
class that no one in the wide world would harbor or comfort. 
These Little Sisters accept this as their duty, and if God's bless- 
ing is to descend because of one act of human charity more 
than another, it should be the prayer of all Christian people 
that this blessing should falll upon these lowly creatures who 
soothe and comifort the last hours of the aged men and women 
who are homeless, poverty-stricken, and alone and friendless. 



Sisters of Charity. -467 

When the war with Spain was declared, President McKin- 
ley asked for one hundred Sisters of Charity to go to the 
camps, the battlefields, and the hospitals, to nurse the sick and 
the wounded. Did they respond? Not only did one hundred 
offer their services, but three hundred Good Samaritans an- 
swered the call, and were you, dear reader, to follow them 
through the blighting scenes of disease, you would find them 
worthy the greatest homage that it is possible for us to bestow 
upon human beings. 

At San Juan a Sister died while at her post of duty. At her 
funeral every respect was bestowed upon her that was possible. 
Her coffin was decked with the stars and stripes, and floral 
offerings from ten thousand saddened hearts. Soldiers who 
were camping miles away marched in to bow their heads at 
the grave of this departed Sister. They had learned to love 
her for her bountiful gifts of affection, of tenderness, and 
devotion. 

Thus we find that the world is full of this same generous 
disposition to alleviate distress, to sacrifice their own lives in 
the rescue of others, and at all times to be the ministering 
Angels of Mercy to those who are in poverty, in affliction, in 
the feebleness of age, and in the true spirit of Him who said: 
"As ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye 
have done it unto Me." 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE JESUITS. 

HPHE world in general knows nothing, absolutely nothing, 
* of the Society, or Company of Jesus. They hear the 
name Jesuit, they understand that it is Catholic, they are sus- 
picious of some Masonic mystery, a secret organization of 
religious power, a menace to future liberty, and a something 
that ought not to be. This is about as far as the world goes 
In its knowledge of the origin, the purpose, the faith, the life, 
and the mission of this Order. 

. The world has never studied the inner nature and motives 
of the Jesuit. It has never cared to fathom the depths of 
piety, the self-sacrifice, the devotion, the truth of character, 
the uncomplaining poverty, and the resistance of hatred 
against those who slander and villify. This same world cares 
nothing for the noble acts of benevolence and of forbearance, 
nor does it care for the religious zeal and the exemplification 
of Christian virtues. But whisper a suspicion of evil, and it 
rises in alarm, and as the blaze of the incendiary is fanned into 
a mighty conflagration, so do the words of slander become a 
tempest of power which engulfs the good and strands the bark 
of virtue. 

Good deeds are known only when the world delights to 
honor, while evil report spreads as a contagion, a plague of 
devastation, and the seeds of unbelief. 

Few people who are not directly interested in the mission 



The Jesuits. 469 

of the Jesuits read and remember their virtues, but the ear 
catches the first sound of distrust and the tongue of calumny 
carries this morsel of news, and as it is handed down from 
neighbor to neighbor, and from gossip to gossip, it at last 
becomes the tumbleweed of inconsistency, which flies with the 
wind of blander, scattering the seeds oif prejudice, mtoleration, 
and persecution. 

No organization, society, order, or institution was ever so 
villified and misunderstood as the Company of Jesus. Many 
people believe that the Jesuits are a sworn body of Catholic 
priests who have been and are seeking to undermine society, 
law, 3nd government. Not one Protestant in one thousand 
has ever read of its pious founder, or of his wonderful teach- 
ings of love and forbearance. They haven't even the remotest 
idea of how or when this Order was founded. The name Jesuit 
is a bugbear of plotting, of hidden disloyalty, and of terror, to 
those poor, ignorant beings who never investigate for them- 
selves, but accept the assertions of others, and the wilder the 
assertions, and the more inconsistent they are represented, the 
more they believe. 

"We shall not fight with the sword, but with the word; we 
shall preach to men and instruct children ; we shall make Chris- 
tians by preaching and teaching. 

"We shall accept money from no one for praying, celebrat- 
ing, preaching, or teaching, and we shall be reproached for 
this, for we shall have other enemies than the enemies of the 
Church. 

"Despite the absence of any stipend, our poverty shall erect 
immense dwellings and shall scatter large alms. 



470 Christian Persecutions. 

"This will be astonishing, and we shall be accused for it. 
We snail march on, with lowered heads, regardless of insults, 
and those who outrage us we shall love as ourselves for the 
love of God. 

"My friends and my children, it is hard to do this, and it is 
especially hard to 'believe in it. The law commanding us to 
turn the other cheek is unnatural and so repugnant to the heart 
of man that when man sees it obeyed, he will insist upon see- 
ing nothing but hypocrisy in the impossible sacrifice, or cow- 
ardice in the heroism that he cannot understand. 

"No man will admit that without God's help it needs a 
thousand times miore valor to drink ithe bitterness of insult 
than it is to strike down the man who< insults you. 

"Amongst men we shall be considered swindlers for our 
miracle of poverty; hypocrites, for our miracle of charity; cow- 
ards, for our miracle of humility. 

"Glory to God! 

"Even our death will not disarm ridicule or insult; it s'hall 
be said of us as was said of our Divine Master, Jesus, that 'we 
have played our parts to the end, and thlaJt our last sigh is our 
last falsehood.' Glory, glory to God alone!" 

Who uttered these words? It was Ignatius de Loyola, the 
founder of the Company of Jesus, who on August 15, 1534, 
at the crypt of Notre Dame, Paris, called together six selected 
and loyal followers, and in his plea for humanity and the 
spread of the gospel of Christ, he uttered these ever-to-be-re- 
membered words. 

Now, dear reader, mark the contrast between these words 
of Loyola and the words of Gioberti, who, because he was 



The Jesuits. 471 

rebuked by the Jesuits for eulogizing them to an extreme, 
turned in his madness and in the spirit of revenge wrote 
''Modern Jesuits," where he declares: "The Jesuits are souls 
without pity, souls of iron; they are impenetrable to sentiments 
the most sacred, to affections the most noble; they are , ever 
ready for fraud, imposture, and calumny; they are men without 
heart, apostles of hell, ministers of perdition ; in fine, they form 
the most terrible and fatal enemy of humanity and Christianity 
which modern times 'have known. — Tlhey teach a ribald mo- 
rality which 'has only the semblance of being Christian, and 
they inculcate things of which an honest Gentile would be 
ashamed; their idea of justice is contradictory to public law, 
and can have the sanction of none but assassins." 

Which of these utterances is remembered and quoted in the 
writings of the Protestant world? It is needless to answer. 
We all know that the evil of man is prone to keep alive the 
slanders and calumnies of others. By the prejudice of those 
who are raised in ignorance will there be a remembrance of 
every charge made against the victims of misrepresentation. 

It mattered not how Gioberti came to utter those words of 
villification. They were publicly declared, and no passion, 
malice, hatred, or any of the vile attributes of man would be 
considered in the great scales of human justice. Slander will 
outweigh the blackest character that ever uttered it. The 
vilest criminal ini existence may traduce and villify the hand 
that seeks to lift him up, and the world will scatter the slander 
and applaud the villain for it. 

The Jesuit is that victim, and the words of Gioberti have 
ever been proclaimed by Protestants as the proof of iniquity, 



472 Christian Persecutions. 

of hypocrisy, of impurity, of perjury, of hatred, of falsity, and 
of murder. This writer has ever been held as competent 
authority for the right to charge all forms of evil to them. 

But before we proceed further, let us return to the begin- 
ning of this Society, view the character of the founder, the 
spirit of the times, and the great work to accomplish. 

Ignatius de Loyola was born in Spain in 1491, and on 
arriving at manhood became a brilliant captain in the army, 
and won the approbation of his superiors for his unconquera- 
ble valor. In outward appearance he was haughty, stern, and 
uncompromising in his demands for justice, but when the light 
of God fell upon him, as it did like a thunderbolt from a clear 
sky, his heart was turned from the fever of war to that of the 
deepest tenderness, love, and adoration. His eyes, as they 
shone through the beauties of his soul, showed the strong de- 
termination of his mind, the grandeur of thoughts and pur- 
poses, and the purity of a consecrated life. 

This brilliant captain was wounded at the bloody siege of 
Pampeluna. His power to lead in the strife of battle was gone 
forever. His body was maimed, and though the spirit of 
chivalry raged with unceasing passion, yet Ignatius could 
never again fight with the sword of mortal combat. His wild 
spirit bounded against the caged bars of his infirmities. He 
was raised a soldier, and his life had been one fierce conflict, 
and now to be bound down with the cruel pains of affliction 
was a blow that was 'hard to bear. To soothe his pillow of dis- 
tress, he would ask his attendants to read to him the glowing 
accounts of the achievements of knighthood, the brilliancy of 
victory, and the triumphs of his cause. In his imagination he 



The Jesuits. 473 

could hear the din of war, the trumpet call for action, and the 
thundering charge. 

Among the knightly romances which were brought to his 
bedside was a narration of the suffering of the Christian Mar- 
tyrs, and the story of their wonderful faith, their endurance 
against mortal pain, their devotion to God, and their willing- 
ness to lay down their lives for the cause of Christ. These 
recitals awoke in him a new thought of existence, a new power 
of love and affection for the word of God, and when the history 
of the greatest of all martyrs was again read to him, when he 
saw Christ persecuted, reviled, denied, and crucified, he felt 
that a new revelation had entered his soul. No longer did the 
spirit of chivalry seek to break the bars of affliction, but with 
a new light of destiny before him, a new conversion, and a new 
purpose, he tore from his heart the honor of warfare, the 
knighthood of chivalry, and the love of. comfort. He read 
again the Passion of our Lord according to the Apostle St. 
John, and as he thought of this wonderful sacrifice, he prayed 
to God for mental strength, for the divine light of truth, and 
for the inspiration of thought and action. In spirit he clasped 
the Mother of Jesus to his heart, and there dedicated his soul 
td the service of faith, his mind to the promotion of the Church, 
and his body to the chastity of the crucified Saviour, saying: 
"I shall be a knight of the real love and a soldier of the only 
glory." 

The six followers, like the apostles of old, who met Loyola 
on the morn of the 15th of August, 1534, were Peter Lefevre, 
Francis Xavier, James Laynez, Anthony Salmeron, Nicholas 
Alonzo de Babadilla, and Simon Rodriguez d'Azevedo. 

(31) 



474 Christian Persecutions. 

For fourteen years Loyola had studied 1 the inspirations 
which now bound together these seven earnest, pious, Chris- 
tian men. He had carefully outlined every phase of its char- 
acter. He had planned its future power and influence, and in 
its organization there could 'be none admitted who would not 
consecrate his life to the work of teaching the gospel of salva- 
tion. There was a great work to do. The Church was being 
assailed by its powerful enemies, and no decisive effort was 
being made to stay the tide of revolt. The old orders of 
Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights, had outgrown 
their usefulness. While they sought to plant the standard of 
Christ, yet their power was not so much the wisdom of thought 
as it was the execution of force. These orders could not fill the 
necessity of the new conditions which now faced Loyola. 

It is true, there were other religious organizations, but 
they, too, were not competent to occupy the field of want. The 
old established orders of Benedictines, Dominicans, and Fran- 
ciscans, were also unable to meet the rising duties. While for 
centuries it had been their mission to teach others, not in the 
broad marts of usefulness, but in their home abodes, their 
chapels, and their monasteries. Theirs was a mission of study, 
of consecration of self, to withdraw from the world as far as 
possible, to seek spiritual perfection in a retired life of contem- 
plation and prayer, to induce the most devout and fervent 
Christians to forsake the life of worldly pleasure and profit, and 
to devote the mind and soul to the great preparation for eternal 
life. 

In the formation of the Company of Jesus there was a 
broader foundation for the advancement of humanity. It 



The Jesuits. 475 

sought to withdraw religious men from retirement and to go 
into all the countries of earth and teach the gospel of repent- 
ance. It was to be the vanguard of Christianity, the pilot of 
information, the watch tower of Zion, and the instrument of 
labor wherein idolatry held mem from the worship of God. 

This Company came into existence just as the Reformation 
had set its foot upon the continent of Europe. Loyola saw the 
magnitude of the revolt and sought to stay the tide of Prot- 
estantism that was sweeping Germany, Switzerland, France, 
Sweden, and the Netherlands. He saw that even Spain was 
being threatened with disunion. He saw that the Catholic 
Church was being defied in England by the arrogant and tyran- 
nical power of Henry VIII. He felt that his beloved Church 
was everywhere being made the scapegoat of every crime, of 
every form of villainy, and of every form of intoleration. His 
soul burned with indignation, and he sought to plan assistance 
by which, not only would his religion be preserved at home, 
but at the same time he preached to the outside world of 
ignorance. 

In the organization of the Society of Jesus the greatest 
number that could be enrolled was sixty, but the demand for 
services was so great that within a few months the Sovereign 
Pontiff was obliged to undo this limitation and give to the 
Company the full power of its mission. 

History informs us that "the first ten Jesuits were, all of 
them, eloquent orators, unequaled professors, accomplished 
theologians, remarkable writers, zealous apostles of charity and 
doughty defenders of truth." In James Laynez we find a man 
of such powerful mind that wherever he went he was received 



476 Christian Persecutions. 

with a wonderful confidence. His first mission was to go to 
Venice, "where the struggle that he opened against heresy so 
aroused the popular enthusiasm that crowds slept at the doors 
of the churches so as not to miss his preaching/' It is but 
proper to mention that the ambition of Laynez was not to 
climb the ladder of fame, but to preach the gospel of Christ. 
So interested did he become in the work laid out for him to do 
that he refused to accept the Cardinal's hat, believing that he 
could render greater service to his Church and to the Company 
of Jesus by continuing in his mission labors. 

The same can be said of Francis Xavier. He was one of 
the most brilliant lights in all the history of the Catholic 
Church. So great was his power of conversion that he was 
sent to India, w'here his march was one continuous victory for 
the advancement of Christian faith. His first efforts in his new 
field of labor were to convert the Portuguese and Spanish 
traders to an honest and conscientious purpose. The oppres- 
sion practiced by the Portuguese merchants in India was car- 
ried to a hideous excess, and so avaricious and corrupt had be- 
come these traders that to the native's mind the name of 
Christian was joined to greedy, cruel, dissolute, vicious, and 
even criminal traffickers. To correct this evil and to prove 
to the natives that Christianity was not a corruption, these 
unprincipled merchants must be converted, an attempt which 
was considered far more difficult than to conquer all barbarous 
India for the faith. 

But Xavier accomplished his purpose. His earnest plead- 
ing aroused them from their vicious dissolution, and they be- 
came a powerful influence in spreading the gospel of Christ. 



The Jesuits. 477 

He said: "In the name of God, do you wish me to ask those 
people, who have no other fault than their blindness, to be- 
come like you, who are full of iniquity?" With this conversion 
Xavier felt that the hardest work of his mission was ended. 
"His heart swam in torrents of joy and the song of his gladness 
broke from his lips; he underwent cold, heat, hunger, disease; 
his naked feet were torn by the thorns and briers on his way, 
but he complained of nothing, or rather he enjoyed everything; 
he kept on his tireless way invulnerable; on earth he walked as 
if already in heaven." 

"In the meantime his whole mission grew with marvelous 
rapidity. At the end of two years the crop of auxiliaries that 
he had planted was almost ripe. At Goa, which was his head- 
quarters, he founded a seminary; his first priests are now 
ready; to-day he can attempt what seemed impossible yester- 
day., and now he penetrates still further and further, for he is 
no longer alone. In the Trevancor, in a few weeks, he baptised 
ten thousand with his own hand." 

It is not necessary to follow this wonderful apostle in his 
missions. Whole cities and countries fall prostrate at his feet. 
The world was astonished at his 'brilliant successes. India now 
belongs to him. It is now nine years since he left Europe, and 
he had not rested a day, but his ardent zeal is just as strong and 
his desire to extend his teachings is more earnest than when he 
first started on his journey. He now visits Japan and re- 
doubles his efforts. In two years of suffering, which cost him 
his life, Xavier is master of these islands. He returns to Goa, 
where he finds that India numbers half a million of Christians. 
"Glory to God! this is a fine harvest; let us sow other fields." 



478 Chkistian Persecutions. 

He turns his eyes towards that great unknown — China. He 
will not. stop, but will enter upon this gigantic campaign. He 
has conquered India and Japan, and now he must scale the 
barbarous walls of China; but alas! his strength is wasted, and 
before he reaches the end of his voyage he dies a martyr to his 
untiring zeal in t'he spread of Christianity. 

I ask you to read again the slanderous words of Gioberti 
and then say that such men as Francis Xavier are guilty of 
treason, infidelity, or crime. What I have said of Xavier is 
true of the hundreds of missionaries who have braved the wilds 
of every country on earth, and all because of their love for 
Christ and the spreading of his gospel of salvation. In our 
own country do we find their line of progress. We can trace 
their footsteps through Canada, up the great chain of lakes, 
down the Mississippi River, through the wilds oi Wisconsin, 
Minnesota, Michigan, and the entire Northwest. We find 
them in Louisiana, Missouri, and can follow them through 
Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, and California. No State in 
the Union can say that the Jesuits have not been the vanguard 
of exploration and the apostles of peace and good will. To 
them, more than to any other people, do we owe a debt of 
gratitude for their unceasing labors in seeking to- conciliate 
the Indians in their anger, for being the instrument for ex- 
ploration, for establishing trading for others, for paving the 
way for settlements, for opening schools, building churches, 
and advancing national progress. 

"When a Jesuit engages in trade, the Order puts him under 
interdict, cashiers him, expels him, and ruins itself to pay a 
debt it has not contracted." 



The Jesuits. 479 

"The Jesuits do not trade. They give, but do not sell. 
They have neither warehouses nor fleets. They let people act 
and talk." 

So great is their modesty that in their own books you will 
find no record or testimony which will in any way exalt their 
zeal, their courage, or their self-sacrificing charity. Rarely do 
they deny the most dangerous accusations, and because of this 
meekness are they libeled and defamed. 

Few Protestants have ever written a word of commenda- 
tion, although we find in Robertson's "History of America," 
Vol. X, p. 27, the following: 

"It is a remarkable thing that those authors who have the 
most severely blamed the licentious manners of the regular 
Spanish monks, all agree in honoring the conduct of the 
Jesuits. Governed by a more perfect discipline than prevailed 
among other orders, or restrained by the need of preserving 
the Society's honor, so dear to each of its members, the Jesuits, 
whether in Mexico or Peru, have ever maintained an irre- 
proachable regularity of manners." 

If we read Voltaire we will find that this brilliant infidel 
would not slander even the Jesuits. He says: "My brothers, 
I have not spared the Jesuits, but I should raise up posterity 
in their favor were I to accuse them of a crime from which 
Europe and Damiens have exonerated them. I should be 
only a vile echo of the Jansenists." This was written when the 
charge of a crime was made against them and no proof was 
produced. The King of France had been assailed, but by 
whom no one knew. The cry rang forth, The Jesuits! The 



480 Christian Persecutions. 

Jesuits are the guilty parties! and even to this day the charge 
of attempted assassination rests against them. 

Again Voltaire says, in discussing the sincerity of their 
acts and their fidelity to manhood: "The Jesuits had the merit 
of making their disciples love literature and virtue." 

But Protestants will say, if the Jesuits were innocent and 
God-fearing men, if they sought only to advance Christianity, 
why were they expelled from Spain, Portugal, the kingdom of 
Naples, the duchy of Parma, the empire of Austria, and from 
France? Carefully follow the history of these expulsions, and 
you will find that in these Catholic states there arose a jealousy 
because of their earnest and persistent labors. They were 
largely instrumental in staying the tide Of Reformation, and as 
such had produced enmity among the people of their own 
Church. John Calvin said : "There is the obstacle, remove it." 
Catholic conspirators followed these words of this most incon- 
sistent of all reformers. The Jesuits were m the way for a 
sordid and greedy ambition. But be it said to< the credit of an 
after decision of the governments of these countries, the Jesuits 
were recalled, which stands as an evidence of their innocence 
and their benefit to the Church and to mankind. 

To note something of their extraordinary efforts in battling 
against Martin Luther, John Calvin, the Huguenots, and the 
entire Reformation, we will quote from the eminent historian,. 
Macaulay: "'Protestantism was checked in its victorious 
march and driven back with a giddy rapidity from the foot of 
the Alps to tlhe s'bores of the Baltic. Before the Order had a 
century of existence, it had filled the whole world with monu- 
ments of its martyrs and of its great struggles for the faith." 



The Jesuits. 481 

Who can express a greater eulogy to the wonderful 
achievements of this Order than is expressed by.Macaulay! 
Read it again, and you will then hardly comprehend the vast- 
ness of the work accomplished. In less than a century "it had 
filled the whole world with monuments of its martyrs and of its 
great struggles for the faith." 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 

COR the purpose of explaining to those who are not Cath- 
A olics something of this doctrine of worship, I have pre- 
pared a short chapter on this most important profession of 
faith, and while I make no claim to being sufficiently versed 
in Catholic theology to thoroughly explain each feature which 
enters into it, yet it may be possible for me to so present this 
subject as to excite a desire to study the principles which are 
the foundation of this most sacred form of worship in the 
Catholic Church. 

Probably the greatest of all differences that exists between 
Catholics and Protestants, is found in the interpretation of the 
real object and meaning of the Holy Eucharist. Other points 
of controversy arise, but none have such wide separation of 
belief as is found in the actual participation of the consecrated 
elements of the bread and wine at the Sacrifice of the Mass. 

So great is the difference in the religious belief of the power 
and effect of this holy communion, that a union of these divi- 
sions of Christianity can never occur. With Catholics, Mass 
is the foundation of faith, the means by which Christ enters the 
soul of man, and is the most cherished and sacred form of 
worship. With Protestants there is no Mass, no recognition 
of it as an indispensable factor in the service of God, no belief 
in the doctrine of transubstantiation, no sacred reverence for 
this faith. To them, the bread and wine contains no spiritual 

482 



The Sacrifice of the Mass. 483 

virtue, serving only as a remembrance of that last supper which 
Jesus partook with his disciples. Thus, on one side we find 
that there is no faith, no doctrine of belief, no divine miracle; 
while on the other side it is the foundation of immortal life, 
the inspiration of God upon the soul of those who receive into 
their hearts the real body and blood of Jesus. 

To bring this subject before our readers in an intelligible 
manner, it is necessary to state the position of the Catholic 
Church in plain and concise language. Their doctrine is 
simple, and from the standpoint of the Scriptures becomes a 
rational and consistent principle of belief. Their basis is upon 
the actual words of Jesus, who, in giving his last instructions, 
or commands to his followers, declared that the bread and 
wine which he gave unto them was the flesh and blood of his 
own body. This is the meaning of the word "transubstantia- 
tion," the one word of all others by which Protestants fail to 
recognize an absolute change, and in refusing to recognize, 
they deny and condemn Catholics for sustaining what the 
Protestants are taught to believe is an impossible transaction 
of God. 

In the belief of transubstantiation, we find that in the par- 
ticipation of the Holy Eucharist the bread has been so conse- 
crated by the spirit of God as to contain the real presence of 
Christ, the actual transformation of the real bread into the 
body of our Saviour, and the transformation of the wine into 
His blood. 

Protestants declare that such a change is not only unrea- 
sonable, but impossible. Catholics reply that nothing is im- 
possible with God. That although the bread and wine are not 



484 Christian Persecutions. 

changed in appearance, yet, like the unseen chemical action of 
substances, the communion with God has rilled the bread with 
the actual presence or body of Him who said: "Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and 
drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my 
flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life ; and I will raise 
him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my 
blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh 
my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father 
hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, 
even he shall live by me. This is the bread that came down 
from heaven; not as your fathers did eat manna, and are 
dead : he that eateth of this bread shall live forever." 

Protestants say they cannot possibly conceive how these 
sayings can be literally true. The bread, they say, is bread 
and the wine is wine, and for Christ to mean that his flesh is 
meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed, is only a parable 
to represent that God must enter the heart before man can 
receive eternal life. 

But why say there is no change because the eye, or taste, 
or senses have not detected the invisible presence of God? Your 
position is not tenable, even in the world of science. You do 
not see a change, therefore you doubt the existence of any. 
But, my friends, you may look in all the realms of nature, 
where there are constantly recurring evidences of change, and 
yet you do not perceive it. You do not understand how tlje 
forces of nature are gathered together and act in one har- 
monious whole. You see the effects of light and heat, but 
you cannot explain how they exist. The chemist puts a subtle 



The Sacrifice of the Mass. i: "> 

fluid into a glass of water, or wine, but there is no perceptible 
evidence of what he has done. You examine the liquid, it has 
retained its color, it has not lost its taste, and you declare that 
it is the same substance, the fermented jriice of the grape, a 
beverage to give strength to the bouy, refreshment to the mind, 
and enliven the depressed moods of imagination. But is this 
true? Is it nourishment, or is it poison? What change has 
been performed by the introduction of that harmless-looking 
fluid? The eye, nor the taste, can detect the mystery, the 
apparent miracle, the invisible instrument that has changed 
life into death. It is no longer wine, it is poison. The invisible 
body of the chemist's art has changed the whole influence of 
that wine, and while there is no visible effect upon the sub- 
stance, yet, when it is taken into the system it becomes the 
enemy of life. 

The same is true of a thousand conditions of nature which, 
in this world of thought and science, you do not disbelieve. 
Your experience, your reason, your study, informs you of 
• this change, and there exists no element of doubt. A glass 
of water may look to you as pure and undefiled, but your 
health-officer says it is loaded with germs of disease. Will you 
drink it and take the chances of becoming a victim because 
of your own rashness? No, you will cast it aside, or you 
will subject that water to heat and thus change the lurking 
poison to a life-giving principle. 

Catholics believe that where the heart is prepared to receive 
the divine influence of God this bread, this wine, has received 
a spiritual change, and it is no longer the bread of bodily life, 
but the bread of the soul, the coming together of God and man, 



"48G Christian Persecutions. 

the transformation of a barren heart to one filled with the 
divine presence of our Saviour. If you are a Christian, can you 
see anything that is irrational; that is not comprehensive, in 
these conditions? % You believe that Christ enters the heart 
of man. You pray for his presence, you plead with your neigh- 
bor to open his mouth and confess his sins, to confess the 
inability of man to stand alone. You entreat him to renounce 
the sins of the world, to cast aside the insidious poison of dis- 
obedience, and drink the waters of eternal life. What less have 
Catholics done? They believe that a wicked and unconfessed 
heart cannot receive the blessings of the divine spirit of God. 
There must be a repentance, a desire to renounce the paths of 
•evil, and an absolute faith that the consecrated bread and wine 
contain the presence of the real God, and when thus accepted 
the soul of man becomes the dwelling-place of this Divine 
Being who declared that "he who eateth my flesh, and drinketh 
my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him/' 

That this declaration of Jesus was no parable, is sustained 
by His earnest exhortation to listen and to believe. Three 
times does he repeat the same declaration that my body is meat 
indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. And to make his state- 
ment more impressive, more emphatic, and more positive in 
its meaning, He says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you," which 
is the Jewish custom of solemnly testifying under oath. Thus 
we find that there can be no mistake in the purposes of Christ. 
He knew that the Jews were murmuring among themselves, 
saying, "this is an hard saying; who can hear it"? Christ 
knew that to eat his flesh in the form of flesh, and to drink 
his blood in the form of blood, would not only be shocking, 



The Sacrifice of the Mass. 487 

but it would be revolting in the extreme. He would first 
prepare the heart to receive the word of God, and then in 
the faith of His promises He would bless the bread, consecrate 
it with His presence, and as the heart was changed to receive 
the Divine Teacher, so was the bread changed so as to con- 
tain the real presence of God. Or to more forcibly explain 
this union of God and man, the real substance of the bread was 
changed into the real substance of the body and blood of 
Christ. 

Protestants say that this whole ceremony is to be enacted 
only in a remembrance of that last supper. If it is only in 
remembrance, why partake of the bread and taste of the wine? 
Why perform an act of religious piety and expect no benefit? 
If you do not expect a benefit, then this formality is an insincere 
act of a most sacred and holy communion. You would be 
shocked to have others call it hypocrisy, a pretended reverence, 
or a mockery. No, I do not believe you have such unholy 
meaning. Your teaching is that it is in commemoration of that 
great event in the life of Christ, but the solemnity of the occa- 
sion means more. Your heart responds to an invisible inspira- 
tion, an inconscious recognition of something divine, of some 
unexplained union between God and man. The tongue may 
speak falsehood, but the heart in the true nature of its existence 
must rebel against it. It is only by a constant perversion of 
truth that the conscience becomes hardened and the spirit of 
God is rejected forever. 

An infidel, reader, will not believe in the doctrine of divine 
presence, or of divine influence over the hearts of our fellow 
men. It matters not to him whether it is a belief in the abso- 



488 Christian Persecutions. 

lute presence of God in the participation of the Holy Eucharist, 
or any doctrine of worship whatever ; but among Christians who 
believe in immortality, who believe in Christ, who worship 
Him, who pray to Him, who believe in His Holy Word, there 
should be no division of faith. Either Christ meant what He 
said or He did not. Can anyone say that one single expression 
of Jesus was said in jest, or not in earnest? Did He ever 
say one thing and mean another? In all His teachings have 
you ever found a contradiction? It is not necessary for me 
to reply. None but scoffers can deny these manifestations of 
God. 

Now, if Christ always meant what He said, is there evidence 
for doubting His teachings in the sixth chapter of St. John? 
The position of Catholics is based upon the undenied and 
absolute instruction, or commands of Jesus, and now, if Prot- 
estants deny this doctrine of transubstantiation, this conversion 
of bread and wine into the body of Christ, it is but proper 
to ask them, what did He mean? Catholics are not prosecut- 
ing a claim. They take the Bible and leave others to prove a 
denial. They ask that Protestants shall prove that it was not 
the intention of Christ to form a holy union with man through 
the participation of the Holy Eucharist. Prove that it was 
meant only for a remembrance, an idle illustration, or a com- 
mand intended for the apostles only. 

Catholics ask you to consider the conditions under which 
Christ made this statement. It was on the eve of his cruci- 
fixion. He was soon to depart from this world He was to 
give all that it was possible to give. Pie was to offer his body 
as a bloody sacrifice for the redemption of man. It was his 



The Sacrifice of the Mass. 489 

last earthly admonition to his apostles. His deep earnestness 
could not be mistaken. The conditions were too serious to 
speak even in parables. It must be a positive and not an un- 
certain truth. It was almost one of his last utterances, and 
such utterances, even in the history of criminals, are taken as 
statements of truth; therefore, it is impossible to believe in 
any other meaning. 

Christ declared, as a last declaration, that this is my flesh 
and this is my blood. Can an assertion be stronger, more posi- 
tive, or more truthful? Christ was to give His body to all who 
would take and eat. It was an offer of the greatest sacrifice 
which the world could ever see. Christ declared that: "I am 
the living bread which came down from Heaven; if any man 
eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will 
give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 
This bread, this flesh, was offered' as a means of salvation, and 
that he who should eat thereof should never die. 

Thus did Christ offer to man his body under the appear- 
ance of bread and wine, with the assurance that if man puts 
forth his hand to accept the sacrifice, to receive it in faith, to 
believe in the Word of God, he shall never die. Or, in other 
words, "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwell- 
eth in me, and I in him." 

Catholics believe that a religion without a sacrifice is no 
religion at all. There must be a sacrifice, otherwise there can 
be no repentance. By repentance we place our hearts against 
evil, we vow before God that we will seek to do good, that we 
will avoid sin, and obey His commands. Sacrifice was the prac- 
tice of the Jews from the earliest days of antiquity, and has 

(32) 



490 Christian Persecutions. 

been handed down to us from the Christian era, and was the 
practice of all Christianity until the Reformation, and even to- 
day it is the practice of heathens, and may be seen even among 
the tribes of Indians. 

Thus we find that sacrifice upon the altars of worship has 
always been an institution of faith until the great religious 
rebellion of the sixteenth century. With the Jews it w T as a 
sacrifice in a bloody manner, but since Christ offered himself 
a living sacrifice for the redemption of man, it has been a 
sacrifice in an unbloody manner. 

To quote from Catholic authority, we find this sacrifice 
explained as follows : 

"The Sacrifice of the Mass is the representation and re- 
newal of that of the cross; the representation, because the sep- 
arate consecration of the bread and wine reminds us forcibly 
of the real separation of our Lord's body and blood, which 
took place at ±lis death; the renewal, because it is the same 
Victim, the same Host, the same High Priest, and conse- 
quently, the same sacrifice, which is offered on the altar, as 
was once offered upon the cross. The only difference is in the 
manner of offering. On the cross, Christ offered himself by 
himself; on the altar, he offers himself by the ministry of his 
priests; on the cross, he offered himself in a bloody manner; 
on the altar, he offers himself in an unbloody manner. Such is 
the sacrifice of the Christian religion; an august sacrifice which 
unites in itself all the advantages of which the different sacri- 
fices of the Old Law were but the types and figures. It is a 
sacrifice of adoration, by which we acknowledge the sovereign 
dominion which God has over His creatures; a. sacrifice of 



The Sacrifice of the Mass. 491 

thanksgiving, by which we thank Him for all his benefits; a 
sacrifice of impetration, by which we obtain new favors; and a 
sacrifice of propitiation, by which we appease His justice." 

We now come to the great stumbling block of Protestant 
opposition. They do not deny what Jesus said, nor do they 
deny that there must be some invisible union between God and 
man, but they do deny that Catholic priests, either by their 
ordination, or by any authority whatever, are legalized to stand 
before the people and there offer these sacred institutions of 
worship. The Reformation taught this falsity, and as such it 
has been handed down from generation to generation. If it 
was not a false doctrine under the old Jewish law, it is not a 
false one now. If for fifteen hundred years it was an admitted 
truth, it must be a truth to-day. If Christ delegated to His 
ministry the consecrated power of faith, some form of ministry 
must still hold it, or it is lost forever. If it is lost, at what 
period of our religious existence did it depart from us? If it 
still exists, what ministry holds the consecration? 

From this line of reasoning it no longer becomes a question 
of faith, but a question of who shall administer it. If Prot- 
estants believe that their ministers have received a divine call- 
ing to preach the gospel of Christ, why deny this calling to a 
Catholic priest? Is a priest who has vowed to consecrate his 
life to the service of the Church, who is bound to remain faith- 
ful to the sick and afflicted, who knows no fear of death, who 
crosses the threshold where lurk the most contagious diseases 
of earth and there administers to the dying, is such a man un- 
worthy the exalted trust reposed in him? 

Mark the contrast between the mission of these two min- 



492 Christian Persecutions. 

isters of the gospel. The one visits the sick, if the ailment is 
not contagious, and hopes that all is well. He can do nothing 
nor can he say anything except to pray to God that He will 
enter the heart of the sick man and at the last moment save his 
soul from perdition. The other visits the sick, his presence is a 
great relief. The dying Catholic looks to him for consolation. 
He confesses his sins, he asks God to blot out the remembrance 
of his unworthiness, he takes the last sacrament and in the 
beautiful trust of the blessed promises of his religious faith, he 
dies with contentment in his heart and a divine assurance in 
his soul that all is well. 

But let us return to a further discussion of this holy sacra- 
ment. You understand that to change a barren heart to one 
filled with the divine presence of our Saviour there must be a 
preparation, a repentance, a desire to do right, and a belief in 
the power of God, without which the consecrated bread cannot 
be the bread of life. But woe unto him who performs these acts 
of piety unworthily. 

The Holy Eucharist was not instituted for pleasure or 
amusement. Christ did not suffer crucifixion for any purpose 
but that of redemption. He did not offer His flesh and blood 
for ridicule and mockery, but declared that whosoever should 
eat and drink unworthily "shall be guilty of the body and blood 
of the Lord." 

Read the I. Corinthians, XI Chapter, 23, 29: "For as often 
as ye eat this bread', and drink this cup, ye do snew the Lord's 
death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, 
and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty 
of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine 



The Sacrifice of the Mass. 493 

himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that 
cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth 
and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's 
body/' 

Not only has Christ declared that the pure heart shall re- 
ceive the blessings of divine presence, but he declares that to 
do this in mockery, in levity, in unworthiness, is to be guilty 
of His death, just as the Jews were guilty of His crucifixion. 

But Protestants say this is all foolishness to believe that to 
partake of the Consecrated Hosts unworthily one "eateth and 
drinketh judgment to himself." Then why believe anything 
that Christ has said? If you believe in Him, why believe a 
part and not the whole? If you do not believe in Him at all, 
then we cannot expect you to believe His teachings. But if 
you are Christian, if you believe in God's Holy Word, have 
you any right to interpret any meaning except that which is 
conveyed in these positive words? Christ not only offered His 
flesh as a sacrifice for eternal life to those who believed, but 
He declares that he who eats it unworthily, "eateth and drink- 
eth judgment to himself." 



CHAPTER XXXYI. 

PATRIOTISM. 

T^O close this volume without discussing the Patriotism of 
A Catholics, would not properly complete the object of this 
publication. My readers have been repeatedly asked to eradi- 
cate from their hearts the three words of the Preface of this 
book — Intoleration, Bigotry, and Ignorance. While I have 
attempted to show something of the history of religion, its per- 
secutions, and the unjust inconsistency of the Protestant world, 
yet I have said nothing in regard to government, or in regard 
to the loyalty and patriotism of the people who compose that 
government. 

Not until now have the American people been aware of the 
true position of the Catholic Church. Many have even doubted 
the real depths of true patriotism of those of the Catholic faith 
when called upon to wage war against a nation of Catholic 
people. It has been a standing warning, announced from Cath- 
olic hatred, that loyalty was only a pretense, a blind to real feel- 
ing and motives, but when an opportunity should arrive they 
would be found wanting. So strong has been this feeling of 
anti-patriotism, that many individuals actually believed that 
when the Pope should make the announcement that the time 
was ripe for seizing the Protestant governments of the world, 
all Catholic nations would rise up to avenge the past 

Does it seem possible that men can he so narrow-minded, so 
contracted in intelligence, so bigoted, so ignorant of human 

494 



Patriotism. 495 

nature, as to believe that the Catholics of the United States 
would seek to overthrow the government, assail our institu- 
tions, or in any way disturb the peace and good will that now 
exists? And yet it is true. Thousands of people to-day actu- 
ally believe that the Church of Rome is a standing menace, a 
slumbering valcano, a pent-up earthquake, which at some mo- 
ment in the future may burst forth in all the terror of a re- 
ligious war, and seek to dethrone Protestantism and estab- 
lish the one form of religion. 

Such men have a very short insight into the future. They 
do not see, but imagine it from the exhortations of some apos- 
tate priest, or the vituperations of some low-down journal, or 
from some lodge of A. P. A., that there is no patriotism or 
honor, religion or morality, honesty or decency, in the entire 
Catholic Church. 

A few days ago I picked up a very harmless-looking paper, 
sent to me from some unknown source, and of all the lowest 
mouthings I ever read this stood at the head. I was actually 
ashamed to think that some human being so far forgot his 
manhood as to utter such vile and contemptible denunciation 
of everything Catholic. I read it to a friend and informed him 
that I was going to copy certain portions to show what incon- 
sistency and ignorance still existed. My friend protested, de- 
claring that I should not defame any public literature with such 
slanderous vituperations. Tell the truth, and let the ax fall 
where it may, but do not pollute your pen with quotations 
from such irresponsible, unreliable, and contemptible trash. 
Do not call them men or human beings. They have forfeited 
all claim to respectability, to manhood, and to the right of being 



496 Christian Persecutions. 

called men. Do not denounce them, for they are beneath a 
respectable notice. Do not name them, for such creatures are 
too low to be recognized even for public gossip. Let them 
alone, and they will continue to wallow in their own slimy 
filth, until from the stench of their own mouthings they be- 
come outcasts from all decent society, which will no longer 
tolerate them. 

This is but a waste of words. We know there can be no 
differences in the ideas of patriotism, of loyalty, or in the 
institutions of government. Catholics have proved it in every 
walk of life, in every obedience to the call of loyalty, on the 
field of battle, in the halls of legislation, on the rostrum, in 
the pulpit, at the home fireside, in the hospitals, with the fever- 
stricken comrade, in the grateful recognition of peace, in the 
homecoming, and in. every spot where there is loyalty to gov- 
ernment, loyalty to discipline, and loyalty to all the institutions 
of America. What more can be asked? They are American 
with American feeling's. Our interests are theirs, for they are 
a part with us and of us. To antagonize is suicide, and a 
destruction of their own interests. It is simply impossible and 
preposterous to even conceive such ideas as these defamers 
would institute. 

But to show you that men actually believe these tales of 
disloyalty — such as, that every Catholic Church in the United 
States has secreted in some of the awful subterranean recesses 
a quantity of fire-arms, to be used when the proper time is 
proclaimed, and that all able-bodied men of the congregation 
meet for drill practice and attend other institutions of dis- 
loyalty, I need only give the following instances: In Pitts- 



Patriotism. 497 

burg, fa., would-be orators stood on boxes at street corners 
and harangued the people, until the commonwealth became 
so disgusted as to order their arrest, or they should admit 
the falsity of their declarations. They recanted, admitting that 
it was pure invention. In Bloomington, 111., a friend of mine 
informed me that his children became frightened because of 
this expected uprising. In Milwaukee it was charged that 
cannon and vast stores of ammunition were secreted. Even 
the church in Waukesha, my own county seat, was declared 
loaded with guns. I might enumerate hundreds of places 
where public utterances were made against the patriotism of 
Catholics, but it is sufficient to say that every church was 
labeled as an arsenal filled with war's weapons ready to be 
used in an active conflict. 

One thing I must tell you which I saw with my own eyes, 
and it is this: I called upon a certain priest to ascertain what 
charge had been made against his church, and if any had been 
made, would he tell me of it. He called for the keys to the 
under part of the church and asked me to follow him. This 
place was a partial excavation for the furnace Oinly. The pipes 
were boxed up to prevent radiation. The priest said, "Do you 
see a hole cut in these boxings here, and here, and here? Yes? 
Well, they were cut in the dead of night to uncover the guns 
that were supposed to be secreted in there. Do you see that 
hole dug in the earth? They expected to uncover a cannon. 
And yet, Mr. Craig, we' say nothing. We know they are poor, 
miserable, unscrupulous snipes who were doing the dirty work 
of those who sent them." 

These are but a part, a mere link in the long chain of mid- 



498 Christian Persecutions. 

night assaults, and yet not once have these defamers found 
even the suspicion of conspiracy. But still these calumnies 
are constantly being raised to intimidate, to prejudice, and to 
continue to foster hatred, ignorance and superstition. Why 
is this? 

As a fitting finis of this chapter on Patriotism, and to illus- 
trate in word-pictures most artistically painted, how deeply 
is implanted in the Catholic breast the love of free America, we 
append the address of Archbishop Ireland, delivered at the 
Peace Jubilee in Chicago, October 18, 1898. 

ARCHBISHOP IRELAND'S ADDRESS. 

"War has passed; peace reigns. Stilled over land and sea 
is the clang of arms ; from San Juan to Manila, fearless and tri- 
umphant, floats the star spangled banner. America, ''Be glad 
and rejoice, for the Lord hath done great things;' America, 
with whole heart and soul, celebrate they jubilee of peace. 

"Welcome to America, sweet, beloved peace; welcome to 
America, honored, glorious victory. O peace, thou art 
heaven's gift to men. When the Savior of humanity was born 
in Bethlehem the sky sang forth 'Glory to God 1 in the highest, 
and on earth peace to men of good will.' Peace was offered 
to the world through Christ, and when the spirit of Christ is 
supreme, there is universal peace — peace among men, peace 
among nations. 

"O peace, so precious art thou to humanity, that our 
highest ideal of social felicity must ever be thy sovereignty 
upon earth. Pagan statesmanship speaking through pagan 
poetry exclaims : 'The best of things which it is given to men 



Patriotism. 499 

to know is peace; better than a thousand triumphs is the sim- 
ple gift of peace/ The regenerated world shall not lift up 
sword against sword, neither shall they be exercised any more 
in war. 

"Peace is the normal flow of humanity's life, the healthy 
pulsation of humanity's social organism, the vital condition of 
humanity's growth and happiness. 

" ' O first of human blessings and supreme, 
Fair peace ! how lovely, how delightful thou.' 

"The praise of peace is proclaimed beyond need of other 
words, when men confess that the only possible justification of 
war is the establishment of peace. 

"War — how dreadful thou art. I shall not, indeed, declare 
thee to be immoral, ever unnecessary, ever accursed. Xo; I 
shall not so arraign thee as to mete plenary condemnation to 
the whole past history of nations, to the whole past history of 
my own America. But that thou art ever dreadful, ever bar- 
barous, I shall not deny. War. Is it by cunning design — in 
order to hide from men thy true nature — that pomp and cir- 
cumstance attend thy march; that poetry and music set in 
brightest colors the rays of light struggling through thy heavy 
darkness; that history weaves into threads of ric'hest glory the 
woes and virtues of thy victims? Stripped of thy show and 
tinsel, what art thou but the slaying of men — the slaying of 

men by the thousands — aye, often by the tens, by the hundreds 

» 
of thousands? 

"With steady aim and relentless energy tasking science to 
its utmost ingenuity, the multitudes of men to their utmost en- 
durance, whole nations work day and night — fitting ourselves 



500 Christian Persecutions. 

for the quick and extensive killing of men. This preparation 
for war. Armies meet on the field of battle; shot and shell 
rend the air; men fall to the ground like leaves in an autumnal 
storm, bleeding, agonizing, dying; the earth is reddened by 
human blood; the more gory the earth beneath the (tread of 
one army, the louder the revel of victory in the ranks of the 
other. This, the actual conflict of war. From north: to south, 
from east to west, through both countries whose flags were 
raised over the field of battle, homes not to be numbered 
mourned in soul-wrecking grief, for husband, father, son or 
brother, who sank beneath the foeman's steel, or yielded life 
within the fever-tent, or who, surviving shot and malady, car- 
ries back to his loved ones a maimed or weakened body. This, 
the result of war. 

"Reduced to the smallest sacrifice of human life the car- 
nage of the battlefields — someone has died, and someone is 
bereft. 'Only one killed,' the headline reads. The glad news 
speeds. The newsboys cry, 'Killed only one.' 'He was my 
son. What were a thousand to this one — my only son.' 

"A just and necessary war is holy. The men who at coun- 
try's call engage in such war are the country's heroes to whom 
must be given unstinted gratitude and unstinted praise. The 
sword in their hands is the emblem of self-sacrifice and of 
valor, the flag which leads them betokens their country and 
bids them pour out in oblation to purest patriotism the life 
blood of their hearts, the shroud which spreads over the dead 
of the battlefield is the mantle of fame and of glory. 

"Happy the nation which has the courage of a just war no 
less than that of a just peace, whose sons are able and willing 



Patriotism. 501 

to serve her with honor alike in war and peace. Happy the 
nation whose jubilee of peace, when war has ceased, is also a 
jubilee of victory. 

"Six months ago the congress of the United States de- 
clared that in the name of humanity war should be waged in 
order to give to the island of Cuba a stable and independent 
government. Magnificent patriotism of America. The peo- 
ple of the United States at once arose in their might. They 
argued not, they hesitated not; America had spoken; theirs 
was not to judge but to obey. In a moment the money of 
America, the lives of America were at the disposal of the chief 
magistrate of the nation, whose sole embarrassment was the 
too generous response to his appeal for means to bring victory 
to the nation's flag. America had spoken. Partisan politics, 
sectional disputes instantly were stilled beneath the majesty of 
her voice. But when America spoke there was no one in the 
land who< was not an American; the laborer dropped his ham- 
mer; the farmer turned from his plow; 'the merchant forgot 
his counting room; the millionaire closed the door of his 
mansion — and side by side, equal in their love of country, 
their resolve to serve her, they marched to danger and death. 

"What strength and power America was found to possess. 
When war was declared, so small was her army, so small her 
navy, that the thought of war coming upon the country af- 
frightened for the moment her own citizens, and excited the 
derisive smiles of foreigners. Of her latent resources no doubt 
was possible; but how much time was needed to utilize them, 
and meanwhile how much humiliation was possible. The 
president waved his wand; instantly armies and navies were 



502 Christian Persecutions. 

created as by magic. Within a few weeks a quarter of a mill- 
ion of men were formed into regiments and army corps; ves- 
sels of war and transport ships were covering the seas; upon 
water and land battles were fought, and great victories won, 
from one side of the globe to the other. I know not of similar 
feats in history. The wonder is that the things that were done 
could at all have been done, and that what was done so quickly 
could have been done so- well. The wonder is that this sudden 
creation of such vast military forces was possible even to 
America. 

''What prowess in action, what intellect in planning, what 
skill in execution, were displayed by soldiers and seamen, by 
men and officers. Magnificent the broadsides from Sampson's 
fleet upon Cervera's fleeing ships. Magnificent the charge of 
regiments of regular infantry and of Roosevelt's riders up the 
hills of El Caney. Never daunted, never calculating defeat, 
every man determined to die or conquer, every man knowing 
his duty, how to do it — the soldiers and seamen of America were 
invincible. Spanish fleets and Spanish armies vanished before 
them, as mists before the morning sun; the nations of the earth 
stood amazed in the presence of such quick and decisive tri- 
umphs, at what America had done and at what they now un- 
derstood America could do. 

"The war is ended. It would ill become me to say what 
details shall enter into the treaty of peace which America is 
concluding with her vanquished foe. I stand in the presence 
of the chief magistrate of the republic. To him it belongs by 
right of official position and of personal wisdom to prescribe 
those details. The countrv has learned from the acts of his 



Patriotism. 503 

administration that to his patriotism, his courage, his pru- 
dence, she may well confide her safety, her honor, her destiny, 
her peace. Whatever the treaty of Spain, America will be 
pleased when appended to this treaty is the name of William 
McKinley. 

"To do great things, to meet fitly great responsibilities, a 
nation, like a person, must be conscious of its dignity and its 
power. The consciousness of what she is and what she may 
be has come to America. She knows that she is a great na- 
tion." 






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